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 The Gujarat government has appointed senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Dr Ratankanvar H Gadhavicharan as the new Commissioner of the Gujarat Food and Drugs Control Administration (FDCA). This appointment comes after the retirement of Dr H G Koshia, who had led the Gujarat FDCA for several terms.
Dr Koshia’s request for a seventh extension is still under consideration of the state government, according to sources.
The post of Gujarat FDCA Commissioner had remained vacant for a brief period following Dr Koshia’s exit, raising apprehensions regarding continuity in regulatory oversight.
Dr Gadhavicharan, a 2009-batch IAS officer from the Gujarat cadre, has been serving as Commissioner (Rural) in the State Health Department. An alumna of Gujarat University, she holds an MBBS degree in Medicine. Over the years, she has played a pivotal role in steering rural healthcare initiatives across Gujarat, focusing on improving accessibility, quality, and delivery of medical services in underserved regions.
The government has entrusted Dr. Gadhavicharan with the dual responsibility of overseeing both public health administration and food and drug regulation. As the new FDCA Commissioner, she will lead efforts to strengthen compliance frameworks, streamline licensing processes, and ensure the safety and quality of pharmaceuticals, food products, and medical devices across Gujarat.
Headquartered in Gandhinagar, the Gujarat FDCA serves as the state’s regulatory backbone for ensuring public health safety. It supervises a wide range of activities, from licensing manufacturing and retail units to combating counterfeit drugs, preventing food adulteration, and promoting digital transparency in regulatory practices.
Officials familiar with the development indicated that the state’s decision to assign the FDCA portfolio to Dr. Gadhavicharan aims to create greater synergy between healthcare governance and regulatory enforcement. The integration is expected to strengthen coordination between field-level health operations and policy-driven compliance monitoring.
Dr. Gadhavicharan’s appointment is being viewed as a fresh administrative beginning for the Gujarat FDCA. Her medical background, combined with extensive administrative experience, positions her to tackle emerging challenges in drug safety, food quality assurance, and regulatory modernization.
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