The Haryana Cabinet, which met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister, Sh.Nayab Singh Saini has approved the recommendations of the Rationalization Commission regarding the creation of additional posts in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Department. The FDA Department is primarily responsible for implementing two major Central legislations, namely the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 and the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
These laws aim to ensure that food and drugs supplied to the public meet prescribed quality and safety standards, as substandard products can seriously affect public health and well-being. Presently, the department monitors and regulates approximately 756 drug manufacturing units, 40,565 wholesale and retail drug stores, 27,139 food licences, and 84,095 registered Food Business Operators across Haryana.
The Rationalization Commission, after assessing the department’s growing workload and regulatory responsibilities, submitted its report recommending substantial strengthening of the FDA Department. Currently, 582 posts are sanctioned in the department.
However, the Commission has recommended increasing the total staff strength to 1,424 posts to improve the department’s efficiency and enforcement capabilities. The Commission has also recommended restructuring the Directorate-level office into three separate divisions — Drug Wing, Food Wing and Administrative Wing — for better specialization and administrative functioning.
In addition, the recommendations include establishing two fully functional Drug Testing and Food Testing Laboratories to strengthen quality testing and regulatory mechanisms in the state.