Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe has dismissed reports of his transfer, clarifying that he continues to head the department and that the crackdown on unsafe, substandard and adulterated food, as well as spurious and substandard drugs, will continue.
The clarification came a day after the Maharashtra government appointed Mundhe as secretary of a five-member committee tasked with probing alleged irregularities in the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) and recommending reforms.
His appointment to the committee sparked speculation about whether he would step down from his existing FDA role. However, Mundhe took to X to categorically deny the reports, asserting that he had not been transferred and continues to serve as FDA commissioner.
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"No, I have not been transferred from FDA. I continue to serve as Commissioner, FDA Maharashtra. Our fight against unsafe, substandard, adulterated food and spurious, substandard drugs goes on," said Mundhe in a post on X.
The committee to examine the alleged irregularities in the MPSC recruitment process was formed after protests by MPSC aspirants in Pune, who demanded an investigation into the suspected question paper leaks, examination irregularities and concerns over transparency in recruitment. The agitation lasted seven days and concluded after the government announced measures to address the students' remarks.
The panel with Mundhe as secretary has been given 60 days to submit a report. Its mandate includes examining allegations of irregularities in examinations, including suspected paper leaks and recommending changes to the recruitment system. The committee's other members include IPS officer Laxmi Gautam, former IAS officer Ganesh Patil and retired judge PD Naik.
Other measures following discussions with the protesting aspirants included placing MPSC Chairman Vivek Bhimanwar on leave until the inquiry concludes, withdrawing cases against protestors, filling 70,000 vacant posts over three years and doubling the number of Group C vacancies to be filled through the 2027 examination.
Mundhe has been serving as Maharashtra FDA Commissioner since May 2026 and since then, the enforcement drives by the FDA has targeted food safety violations at restaurants, food businesses and warehouses on a very large scale.
By August, the FDA had conducted more than 3,100 inspections over approximately two months, suspended more around 165 licences and issued improvement notices to more than 750 establishments.
The establishments inspected during the enforcement drives included Domino's Pizza, Pizza Hut, Burger King, Parsi Dairy Farm, K. Rustom & Co. Ice Cream Parlour and the Cricket Club of India, as well as quick commerce warehouses operated by Blinkit, Zepto and Swiggy Instamart.
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