Lucknow, 25

Oct (HS): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath underlined the

importance of strengthening the state's drug control system to ensure the

quality and safety of medications. He

directed the creation of the position of District Drug Control Officer to

further streamline operations at the district level. The Chief Minister indicated that the number

of drug inspectors should be doubled from their existing level. To make the recruitment process more open,

fair, and merit-based, he declared that written exams will be used instead of

interviews for these positions. He

emphasized the need of providing appropriate drug inspector deployment in all

districts and promoting the development of efficient supervision and timely

inspection procedures at the district level. During the conference, it was

revealed that the department presently employs 109 drug inspectors, which falls

short of the standards set by the Indian government.

The Chief

Minister stated that integrating the state's drug inspection system with

national standards is critical to public health and safety. The discussion also addressed the

rearrangement of senior posts in the drug control cadre. The Chief Minister authorized plans to expand

the number of Deputy Commissioner (Drugs) positions and change the qualifying

service requirements for promotion to Joint Commissioner (Drugs). He also asked

the department to establish clear credentials and requirements for the job of

Drug Controller, as well as to set a specific term for the office, in order to

maintain strong leadership and responsibility at the system's highest levels.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi