New Delhi: The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved the appointment of Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi as the Drugs Controller General of India of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO).
Mint had reported on February 6 that a UPSC panel had recommended Raghuvanshi’s name for the country’s top drug regulator post.
“The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the proposal for appointment of Dr. Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi, Secretary-cum-Scientific Director, Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission to the post of Drug Controller (India), Level 14 of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) . The pay matrix, on short term contract basis, will be effective from the date of their joining till they attain the age of superannuation on 28.2.2025, or until further orders, whichever is earlier,” said an official statement.
The other claimant was VG Somani, former DCGI, and Jai Prakash, joint director of the IPC.
UPSC released the advertisement last February, after which a lot of applications came and interviews were conducted last month.
DCGI is the head of the Central Drugs Control Standards Organization (CDCSO). This is an important post in terms of making regulatory approval for medicines and vaccines in India. The significance of this post lies in the fact that DCGI has played a vital role in everything from approval of COVID-19 vaccines to approval of life-saving drugs and ensuring its quality in combating the COVID-19 pandemic.
Moreover, the appointment of a new DCGI assumes significance at a time when drugs like cough syrup and eye drops supplied outside India are reportedly causing adverse effects in patients who are consuming them.
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