In an effort to crack down the existence of spurious drugs and illegal practices with pharmaceutical products in the state, the Gujarat Food and Drugs Control Administration (FDCA) will soon introduce a scheme to award cash incentives for the informants.

The FDCA, which has already received approval and budget allocation for the scheme, is planning a publicity programme to make the people aware about the benefits of informing about illegal practices to the officials. The scheme is in line with the operations of the police department, where the informants of particular crimes and illegal activities are awarded with a certain amount as a cash incentive, said H G Koshia, joint commissioner and the licensing authority, FDCA.

"This scheme comes as the part of our project to strengthen FDCA intelligence wing. Though we were acting on various illegal practices with the tips received from various informants, we were not able to encourage them to keep on tracking the issues. With the scheme we will be able to encourage our informants and the public to report malpractices and prevalence of spurious drugs promptly," added Koshia.

However, the amount to be awarded for the informants is yet to be decided. The amount will be awarded from the budget allocation of around Rs 4 lakh to Rs 5 lakh in the current financial year, issued by the state government for strengthening the vigilance system of FDCA.

The administration has recently raided a dispensary in Mehsana district and seized drugs and medicines worth Rs 25 lakh stored illegally in the dispensary. Based on the tips from informants, the FDCA has also seized 5 lakh to 6 lakh plastic ampules of oxytoxin from a transport house which was sent under fake name to a bogus address.

So far, the FDCA has conducted 12 raids in the state from January, 2008 and cases were booked in almost every raid for violation of Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940. The cash incentives for informants and publicity programme to announce the scheme will increase the number of tips received by the vigilance officials, added Koshia.