Karnataka Health Department brings AYUSH medicines, testing labs under FSDA purview
Announcing this at a press conference on Monday, Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said the move is to control the quality of medicines being prescribed under the alternative systems of medicine, especially as their consumption continues to rise among the public.
Moreover, the department has also reduced the time it takes to recall substandard medicines from the market. Earlier, once a drug was flagged as 'Not of Standard Quality' (NSQ), it could take up to 30 days for the drug to be removed from pharmacies and distributors. Now that time has been cut to just two days, the Minister said.
NSQ drugs
Pointing out that it is a crucial decision, the Health Minister said NSQ medicines, if left on shelves, may continue to be consumed by patients, posing direct and serious health risks.
In June 2025 alone, drugs worth ₹40.48 lakh that did not meet safety standards were swiftly recalled and seized across the State, he said.
Giving details about the drives conducted by the FSDA in the last few months, the Minister said: 'In July, 1,433 drug samples were analysed by testing laboratories located in Bengaluru, Hubballi, and Ballari. Of these, 67 were found to be substandard, with the department filing 29 cases.'
A two-day special enforcement drive was also conducted from June 24, during which 279 inspections were carried out at drug stores across the State and 231 show-cause notices were issued to offending establishments, while 15 compliance notices were served, he said.
Online applications for blood centres
All applications related to blood centres are now processed through the Online National Drugs Licensing System (ONDLS) Portal, with licenses issued exclusively online. In addition, an online platform has been launched to issue Recognised Medical Institution (RMI) certificates required by institutions authorised to handle essential narcotic drugs, he said.
Street food samples
A total of 1,557 street food eateries were inspected, and items including fruits, vegetables, water bottles, bakery products and spice powders were checked, with 406 found violating safety norms. Spot fines amounting to ₹44,500 were collected from these violators. At 186 bus stands across the State, 889 food stalls were inspected, and 206 were found in violation, the Minister said.
'Despite a ban on the use of artificial food colours in food preparation, the Empire Restaurant chain in Bengaluru has been found to be using synthetic food colours in chicken kebabs. Food Safety officials, through a State-level inspection and laboratory testing, collected six samples of chicken kebab from various branches of this restaurant, and all six samples were found to be unsafe for consumption,' Mr. Gundu Rao said.
Pointing out that the restaurant is now preparing kebabs without colours, the Minister urged the public to demand better quality and report cases where they find eateries serving artificially coloured food.
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