The much awaited recruitment process of filling six posts of drugs inspectors on permanent basis in the Andhra Pradesh Drugs Control Administration (APDCA) has just begun with Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) inviting applications for the post of drugs inspectors.

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.

The recruitment of 50 drug inspectors on contract basis for the Andhra Pradesh Drugs Control Administration (APDCA) is pending even after 18 months of issuing the order by the State Government sanctioning the recruitment. In fact, AIDCOC objected appointment of drugs inspectors on contract basis, in the past.

The APDCA has been requesting the State Government for sanction of 50 drugs inspectors for the past three years, following which the government finally approved the proposal on July 28, 2004. The drugs department has been urging to strengthen the team in order to curb the menace of manufacture and sale of spurious and not-of-standard-quality drugs.

The Mashelkar Committee in its report has stressed the need for recruiting new drug inspectors to strengthen the drugs department. Hathi Committee recommended that there should be a drug inspector for every 100 medical shops and every 25 pharma units. Taking this into account, AP DCA requires a total of 300 drugs inspectors. It has only over 50 drugs inspectors as of now.

The need of recruiting drugs inspectors in the State becomes more significant keeping in view the 'State Audit Report' prepared by the Comptroller & Auditor General of India for 2002-'03. The report pointed out that 80 per cent of the prosecution cases were pending trial in courts, shortfall in inspections of manufacture and sale units ranged from 15 to 67 per cent due to huge shortage of (77 per cent) drugs inspectors. There was no increase in the number of drugs inspectors for the last 10 years.

The report also stated that no legal-cum-intelligence cell and anti-spurious drug squads were established in the department. The DCA had not developed any database of manufacture or sale or licenses.