Telangana plans to merge food safety and drug control departments to boost enforcement

Health Minister C. Damodar Raja Narasimha at a review meeting with Food Safety Commissioner Sangeetha Satyanarayana and Drug Control Authority Director General Avinash Mohanty in Hyderabad on Wednesday. | Photo credit: Special arrangement

Telangana is considering integrating its Food Safety and Drugs Control Administration (DCA) departments to strengthen enforcement against adulterated food and counterfeit medicines, with Health Minister C. Damodar Raja Narasimha on Wednesday (July 15) directing officials to prepare an action plan after examining the proposal.

During the review meeting in Hyderabad, senior officials briefed the minister on the functioning of the two departments and outlined the operational challenges and obstacles in protecting public health. They stated that although the two departments share a common goal, their separate functioning limits coordination. They highlighted staff shortages, difficulties in carrying out inspections, the need to strengthen laboratory capacity and delays in investigations and court proceedings.

The Minister was informed that the integration of the two departments will enable faster and more efficient inspections, sampling, laboratory testing, intelligence gathering, enforcement and legal action. “The proposed integration would facilitate stricter measures against the production, storage and sale of adulterated food as well as substandard and counterfeit medicines,” they said.

The Minister directed Health Minister Christina Z. Chongtha to examine the suggestions made by the officials and prepare an action plan suitable for Telangana. He tasked officials to study the administrative, legal and technical aspects of the proposal and formulate comprehensive recommendations.

The minister also directed officials to prepare proposals for strengthening human resources and recruiting experts in line with public demands. He called for the modernization of food testing laboratories and asked officials to examine the need for setting up regional laboratories whenever necessary. He also ordered the introduction of modern testing equipment and technology to improve testing capabilities.

Published – 15 Jul 2026 18:44 IST