Telangana has introduced a new unified regulatory structure called the Telangana Standards Authority for Food and Essential Drugs, or TG-SAFE, bringing the Food Safety Department and Drugs Control Department under a single administrative framework. The initiative is aimed at strengthening oversight of food products and medicines across the state.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy said the initiative reflects the government’s focus on protecting citizens through stronger standards for food and medicines. TG-SAFE formally brings two major public-health regulatory functions under coordinated administrative control while retaining their respective statutory responsibilities.

The Telangana government established TG-SAFE through G.O.Ms.No. 67 issued by the Health, Medical and Family Welfare Department on August 4, 2026. The new structure combines the administrative functions of the Food Safety Department and Drugs Control Department.

The government said the two departments have overlapping objectives involving public health, quality assurance, consumer safety and regulatory enforcement. Bringing them under one administrative umbrella is intended to improve coordination in areas such as surveillance, inspections, intelligence gathering, legal support and enforcement. The authority is also expected to strengthen action against unsafe food products as well as spurious and substandard medicines.

Under the new system, the Commissioner of TG-SAFE will exercise unified administrative control over the Food Safety and Drug Control departments. However, the merger does not replace the existing laws governing their regulatory activities.

The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, will continue to govern food regulation, while the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, will continue to apply to medicines and related products. Statutory officers will retain their legal powers under the respective laws.

The unified framework is expected to reduce administrative gaps and improve coordination between officials responsible for licensing, inspections, sampling, laboratory testing and enforcement.

Food and medicine quality have a direct impact on public health, making effective inspections and quick enforcement critical. Telangana’s new structure is designed to create closer coordination between teams dealing with these two sectors.

The government expects TG-SAFE to improve monitoring while strengthening regulatory accountability. Authorities will continue checking compliance among food businesses, drug manufacturers, pharmacies and other regulated establishments under the applicable laws.

For consumers, the initiative could mean a more coordinated government response to complaints involving adulterated food, unsafe products, spurious drugs or medicines that fail prescribed quality standards.

Senior IPS officer Avinash Mohanty has been appointed Commissioner of TG-SAFE, placing him at the head of the newly unified administrative structure. Reports said he assumed charge as the authority began functioning.

TG-SAFE will now become the central administrative umbrella for Telangana’s food safety and drug control operations. Its effectiveness will depend on stronger inspections, testing, information sharing and timely enforcement against violations.

With the launch, Telangana is positioning food and medicine regulation within a more coordinated framework, with consumer safety and public health at the centre of the new system.