The Food and Drug Control Administration (FDCA) in Gujarat is planning a massive work force deployment and decentralisation programme by setting up six more offices in various districts and adding around 200 staff within a couple of months for effective and prompt implementation of regulations in the state.

The FDCA, which currently has its offices in 18 out of 26 districts, is in the process of identifying locations to establish their presence in six more places. The new offices will be opened at Patan, Porbandar, Dahod, Navasari and Anand. Besides, a zonal office will be established in Ahmedabad district to handle the issues, since the district is a hub of pharmaceutical and related firms. The administration has already located offices for three districts and will open all the six new offices within the calender year, said H G Koshia, commissioner, FDCA, Gujarat.

“The new offices will help us to dispose the fresh and renewal applications for sales licenses and now the inspections for product and sales licenses could be easily carried out in these regions,” said Koshia. The administration has allocated Rs 24 lakh from its budget for 2009-10 for the purpose. The administration is in the process of filling the vacant posts in the system to support the expansion programme, he added.

The state government has sanctioned the FDCA's request for recruitment of 115 junior scientific assistants, 59 drug inspectors and 41 food inspectors. With the induction of 59 more drug inspectors, the administration will have a work force of 84 drug inspectors. Notices calling for eligible candidates are already out and the recruitment would be completed within a couple of months.

“Once the recruitment is over, we will be awarding promotions to the existing officers and will deploy more staff in implementation of regulations. The plans for new district offices are also based on these expectations,” averred Koshia. The administration has recently completed renovation of its headquarters at Gandhinagar with a fund of Rs 1.5 crore to have a modern looks for the office.

Gujarat FDCA, at present, has 3,214 licensed pharma manufacturing units, 25,243 licensed retail and wholesale premises, 155 blood banks and 42 blood storage centres under its control. The sales licenses are completely issued and monitored through IT Enabled Services and the works to issue product licenses online is nearly 90 per cent completion, informs Koshia.