Agartala, April 01, 2025: Tripura Chief Minister and Minister of Health & Family Welfare department Prof. Dr. Manik Saha on Tuesday informed the state assembly that one post of Drug Inspector remains vacant while a case involving spurious medicines is currently pending in court.
Dr. Saha made the statement while responding to a query raised by Congress MLA Gopal Chandra Roy on the seventh day of the state assembly’s budget session.
During the session, MLA Roy highlighted the alarming issue of counterfeit drugs in India. Citing reports, he said, “According to the Indian Medical Council, medicines worth around ₹5 lakh crore are sold across the country. Out of this, ₹3 lakh crore consists of generic medicines, while ₹2 lakh crore are branded medicines. Shockingly, spurious branded medicines worth ₹20,000 crore are in circulation. Another report suggests that such counterfeit drugs are widely available in the North Eastern region of India.”
He further pressed the government on whether there were plans to open drug testing laboratories in all eight districts and 23 sub-divisions of the state and whether the number of Drug Inspector posts would be increased.
In his reply, Dr. Saha assured the House that the government is actively monitoring the issue and taking necessary measures. He revealed that there are currently 40 inspecting officers in the state conducting regular inspections. Among them, 18 were recruited directly, and six were promoted. However, one position remains vacant following the retirement of an officer on November 30, 2024.
Addressing concerns over spurious medicines, Dr. Saha referred to an ongoing investigation into the Vardhman Pharma case. “The members of the legislative assembly are aware of the Vardhman Pharma case. The investigation is still underway. Drug Inspector Krishna Bhattacharjee has filed a case in the special court of West Tripura District, with case number DC-01/20. The questioning in this case took place on January 21, 2025, and the next hearing is scheduled for May 5, 2025,” he informed.
Reiterating the state’s commitment to tackling the issue, Dr. Saha urged MLA Roy to bring specific cases to the government’s attention. “We have officers deployed across the state. However, if MLA Roy has any specific cases, we request him to inform us, and we will certainly take action,” he added.
