The Haryana state government has changed the nomenclature of drugs inspector and senior drugs inspector in the state drugs control department to drugs control officer and senior drugs control officer respectively, from the second week of January 2008. Sources say that drug control officers from various states may seek change in nomenclature of drug inspectors in line with the order issued by the Haryana government.

According to a notification of state health department of Haryana in January 9, the Governor of the state has approved the change in nomenclature subject to the condition that there will be no additional financial burden on the state exchequer. A copy of the notification has been forwarded to the director general of health services, state drugs controller, the accountant general (A&E), and all civil surgeons in the state, apart from copies to all the drugs inspectors and senior drugs inspectors.

Haryana is the second state to change the nomenclature of drugs inspectors to drugs control officers, while Rajasthan has brought in similar change in the state drugs control department six years ago for the first time in India, according to sources.

The decision in changing the name of designation comes as the result of the long pending demand of state drug control officials under the banner of Haryana Drugs Control Officers Welfare Association (HDCOWA), informed sources. The association has been demanding for the change of nomenclature from 1989.

The HDCOWA has received enquiries from the state drug control officers' associations of New Delhi and Andhra Pradesh on the latest development. Apart from the officers of New Delhi and Andhra Pradesh, state drug control officers' associations of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh are also in the process of demanding change in the nomenclature of drugs inspectors.

"The nomenclature as drugs inspector leaves a feeling that the post is a class three government job, while we are on the status of gazetted officers. We are the prosecutors and investigators of cases related to pharmaceutical sector and after all, we are getting the job by completing a technical and professional course of five and a half years," said Lalit Goel, general secretary, HDCOWA. "The new nomenclature will be a moral booster for our activities in the state," he added.

The All India Drugs Control Officers' Confederation (AIDCOC) has moved a petition in the Supreme Court about five years ago, seeking uniform change in nomenclature in all the states. However, the petition was later withdrawn by the confederation, as the legal experts pointed out that the power to change nomenclature of state drug control officers falls under the decision of state governments.