Why TSAFE, Telangana's new unified food and drugs authority, is timed well

2005 batch IPS officer Avinash Mohanty takes charge of the unit even as Maharashtra FDA commissioner Tukaram Mundhe is spearheading a crackdown on food adulterationThe Telangana government has done away with a 45-year-old practice by merging the food safety and drug control wings and establishing a unified authority named TSAFE, the Telangana Standards Authority for Food and Essential drugs.TSAFE is the equivalent of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wings operating in various states, which was also the norm in undivided Andhra Pradesh till 1981.TSAFE has been formed at a time when Maharashtra’s FDA commissioner Tukaram Mundhe is in the limelight for spearheading a crackdown against food adulteration, which includes raids on eateries, booking cases and shutting down some of the iconic establishments of Mumbai over alleged safety/hygiene violations.The officer Telangana chief minister A. Revanth Reddy chose for the task here is Avinash Mohanty, a 2005 batch IPS officer, known to be sincere and upright. Posted as director general, Drugs Control Administration, earlier this year, Mohanty becomes the first officer in Telangana to head the reintegrated divisions of the Food Safety Department, functioning under commissioner of food safety, and the Drugs Control Department, functioning independently since 1981. Given his image as a strict officer, Mohanty is expected by many to enforce food safety rules on par with Mundhe in Maharashtra. “I am aware of the comparisons, and I intend to do my best, according to the situation and need here,” Mohanty, who is also director of the Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau and Prohibition and Excise, told INDIA TODAY.Previously, Mohanty served as commissioner of Cyberabad, the expanse encompassing Hyderabad’s IT hub, and also headed the Malkajgiri Commissionerate, forming another side of the Telangana capital area.According to a senior government official, Reddy has been keen on dealing sternly with food adulteration in the state, along with drug safety, which is why he sent Mohanty to the Drugs Control Administration as a precursor to the bigger, integrated task now.With the increasing volume of licenced food business operators (FBOs) in Telangana—Hyderabad alone has some 100,000 registered—there is a need to strengthen compliance and enforcement under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, to block spurious and substandard foods and drugs and protect public health.Over the past few months, several raids conducted by H-FAST, Hyderabad police’s food surveillance taskforce, and horrifying revelations of adulteration of food items and serving of dishes prepared with expired, stale ingredients, has reinforced the need for relentless and stringent enforcement of food safety rules. Officials say that administrative integration of the food and drugs departments, augmenting statutory roles, and improving coordination, surveillance and regulatory outcomes is necessary in Telangana.“The Food Safety Department and Drugs Control Department share common objectives relating to public health, consumer safety, quality assurance and effective regulatory enforcement. A unified administrative framework is required to improve surveillance, intelligence, enforcement, legal support and regulatory outcomes,” said Dr Christina Chongthu, principal secretary, health, medical and family welfare, Telangana, in the TSAFE orders issued earlier this month.To enable efficient functioning of TSAFE, the Drug Administration and Food Safety Wings will be supported by the Enforcement Wing with intelligence gathering, risk-based inspections and prosecution support. The Legal and Prosecution Wing will provide legal advice and prosecution support. The Laboratory Wing will offer food and drug testing.“While raids and inspections at restaurants, cases against erring eateries and food adulterers, and possible shutdowns are carried out, we want a thorough system in place, which itself will act as a deterrent for the non-compliant, who are risking the lives and health of people,” said Mohanty, who took charge on August 17.As of now, TSAFE’s enforcement is being operationalised within the CURE (Core Urban Region Economy)—the Reddy administration’s definition for the Hyderabad capital region, “prioritising the area due to the high concentration of FBOs and drug establishments here”.Adequate police personnel are required to be attached to Telangana SAFE for enforcement activities. Chongthu said budgetary provisions shall be made for implementation of TSAFE, along with permission to fill all vacant posts through deputation, contract or outsourcing, in accordance with the prescribed procedure.TSAFE seems to be Reddy’s version of HYDRAA, the agency dealing with encroachments of lakes, parks, roads and spaces in Hyderabad. But experts point out that for food and drugs safety, the need is to scale up the infrastructure to support the raids and inspections TSAFE is expected to carry out. Telangana, as of now, has only one food testing lab in the government sector—the State Food Laboratory at Nacharam, Hyderabad.Subscribe to India Today Magazine- EndsPublished By: Shyam BalasubramanianPublished On: Aug 24, 2026 18:49 IST