The Food and Drugs Administration is the premier watchdog for several food articles and thousands of medicines sold across medical stores in the state.
The Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) is the premier watchdog for several food articles and thousands of medicines sold across medical stores in the state. However, the same administration has been hiring officials without even bothering to check their qualifications, information obtained under the Right To Information (RTI) Act by the Society for Awareness of Civil Rights, an NGO, has revealed.
The society has complained to the chief minister and the chief secretary, demanding action against the FDA, including the immediate removal of the officials concerned.
According to RP Yajurvedi Rao, president of the Society for Awareness of Civil Rights, six positions for the post of assistant commissioner were to be filled when the administration advertised in July 2008 in different categories.
“While three positions were to be filled through advertisements, three were to be filled through departmental promotions. While Bhushan Patil, one of the laboratory technicians working in Mumbai FDA headquarters, has been illegally promoted as assistant commissioner (drugs), another applicant Nitin Deore (who has been appointed in Nanded) has misled the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) with wrong documents in the application,” said Rao.
According to RTI documents obtained by Rao, copies of which are with DNA, the details submitted by Deore in the MPSC application form raise many questions. “While one work experience certificate given by his previous employer, Croslands Research Laboratories, shows that he was working as a research associate with the lab from July 1996 to July 2001, another certificate from the same lab claims that his period of work was till February 2001 with a different designation.”
He added: “Another employer certificate from BJ Medical College, Pune, says that he was working with the college as a class II chemist from August 2003 to October 2008 and later till July 2009 as a pharmacist cum class II chemist. However, during the period Deore was working with Croslands, he has a certificate from Pune University claiming that he was a “full time student” of MBA.
Moreover, in his MPSC application, he has mentioned having a “relevant” masters degree related to pharmacy, which in fact is MBA,” said Rao.
In a letter written to the CM and the chief secretary, Rao has said that ex-FDA commissioner Dhanaraj Khamatkar along with a few other senior officials had not followed the proper hiring procedure.
“The state cannot employ a fraudster and cheater as assistant commissioner (drugs),” said Rao. FDA commissioner Seema Vyas was unavailable for comments, while Deore’s mobile number mentioned in the application was switched off.
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