Food and Drug Administration, Maharashtra State
Food and Drug Administration, Maharashtra State, is Maharashtra's primary instrument of consumer protection. It is a law enforcement agency. In 1970, the Government of Maharashtra entrusted the responsibility of enforcement of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954 to FDA which is when it got its present name. The regulations are implemented by the following independent section :- (A) Drug Section (B) Food Section (C) Food and Drug Control Laboratories (A) Drugs Section :–
Drugs are used to elevate the health of people and responsibility for the implementation of various rules and regulations for getting the safe Drugs and Cosmetics, with good quality and purity to the people of the state, is assigned to food and Drugs Administrations. For Drug Section, following Acts are implement by this Administration : 1) Drugs and Cosmetics Acts 1940 and Rules there under 1945 2) Drugs and Magic Remedies ( Objectionable Advertisements) Act’1954. 3) Essential Commodities Act’ 1955 there under Drugs Price Control Order’ 2013. 4) Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substance Act’ 1985. 5) Poison Act 1919 and Rules thereunder and Maharashtra Poison Rule 1976. To achieve the objective of better health of the society, following machinery is formed for the implementation of above Rules/Sub-Rule orders in the State: State Level :- Commissioner --------> Joint Commissioner -------->Asst.Commissioner --------> Drugs Inspector Division Level :- Joint Commissioner ----------> Asst. Commissioner ---------> Drugs Inspector District Level :- Asst. Commissioner ------------ > Drugs Inspector
For the control on Machinery which is implementing the above regulation in the State and for the effective implementation of these Rules, the intelligence branch is working on the State level which is under the control of Joint Commissioner ( Vigilance ). Joint Commissioner (Vigilance)---------->Asst. Commissioner (IB) ----------> Drugs Inspector (IB) Headquarters and Divisional Drugs Inspector (IB) Following duties are performed by this Administration through the above machinery 1) Drug Manufacturing including for export 2) Drug Selling / distribution A) Sale of medicine only under supervision of Pharmacist B) Sale of prescription drugs on the vaild prescription only. C) Sale of drug by valid bills only (3) Control on Price Drug (Drugs Price Control Order’ 2013) (4) Monopoly of organisation in Drug selling field (5) Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act’ 1954
(B) The Food Safety and Standards Authority come in to force from 5 August 2011. By implementation of Rules and Regulations under the said Act. It has created a possibility of getting trusted and wholesome, quality food for the citizens in the State of Maharashtra Implementation of the said act has created following actions which are– (1) Registration of Food Business Operators/On line Registration of FBO. (2) Administrative Improvement (3) Implementation of Food Safety and Standards Act. (4) About Food Creating Health Hazards human health (5) regional Controlling in the State.
(C) Drug and Food Control Laboratories, Maharashtra State To increase the capacity of analysis of food and drugs samples in the State, and to minimize the time required for the analysis, process is initiated for the expansion of the existing laboratories at Mumbai and Nagpur and establishing new laboratories at Pune, Nagpur, Kolhapur, Thane, Nasik, Amravati is in progress.
Recently in a reshuffle of IAS officers, ex-state Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) commissioner, Mahesh Zagade, 55, was transferred out of office. Formerly, director of municipal administration in Maharashtra, Purushottam Bhapkar, will replace Zagade. Bhapkar was also the former municipal commissioner of Aurangabad until 2012. Zagade has been instrumental in banning gutkha and pan masala in the state for the third year in a row. Also, he has taken strict action on errant chemists operating without pharmacists, or selling medicines without prescriptions. Since last month, under his supervision, FDA started a drive against doctors illegally stocking antibiotics in bulk. Collaborating with Interpol, Zagade played a major role in cracking down on internet pharmacy rackets since the start of the year. State FDA had seized and prohibited illegal trade of addictive prescription drugs worth crores, like anti-depressants and sex boosters – sildenafil citrate. The drugs were being illegally exported to Japan, Western Europe and other countries, without prescriptions. His work on the ban of tobacco-related products was recognized by World Health Organization, for which he was given a global award.