The Andhra Pradesh Drugs Control Administration (APDCA) will soon be added eight more drugs inspectors. The drug inspectors are being recruited through AP Public Service Commission for which the written test is schedule on April 21, 2006.

The department has been requesting the state government to approve recruitment of drugs inspectors as the number of inspections both at retail and manufacturing sides were required to be high compared to many other States.

In addition to this, AP government has agreed and approved recruitment of 25 drugs inspectors on contract basis, sources said.

Though many senior officials in the drugs department and the All India Drugs Control Officers Confederation (AIDCOC) had been against the idea of recruiting drugs inspectors through contract basis as it is a regulatory positions, there are still some senior officials in the drugs department who are of the opinion that it is better to have drugs inspectors in any form than having no additional staff at all.

As per estimates, the number of drugs inspectors serving the department in AP is just one-sixth of the total requirement. AP DCA requires a total of 300 drugs inspectors. It has only about 50 drugs inspectors as of now.

The position of 'Drugs Inspector' is a statutory post under Section 21 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 for enforcement of the provisions under the Act and to see that the offenders are brought under the clutches of law to enable the courts to impose punishments