Telangana merges food safety, drug control under TG SAFE

The Telangana government has merged the Food Safety Department and the Drugs Control Administration (DCA) into a single authority called the Telangana Standards Authority for Food and Essential Drugs (TG SAFE). The Hindu reports that the merger is administrative and does not dilute the statutory powers of either department, officers will continue to exercise their powers independently under the relevant laws.

IPS officer Avinash Mohanty has been appointed Commissioner of TG SAFE, in addition to his role as DCA Director General, according to Siasat.com. The unified body will operate through six wings: Drug Administration, Food Safety, Enforcement, Legal and Prosecution, Laboratory, and Administration. It will initially be operationalised in the CORE region, citing a high concentration of food and drug businesses.

The government has ordered a State-level committee to review the modernisation of food and drug administration. The committee will assess the unified authority and submit recommendations for a final decision on establishing a unified Food and Drug Department across the state within prescribed timelines, The Hindu adds.