Who Is Tukaram Mundhe? Meet the IAS Officer With 25 Transfers In 21 Years Leading Maharashtra's Food Safety Crackdown

IAS officer Tukaram Mundhe took charge as Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner on May 25. Since then, the agency has intensified raids on wholesalers, manufacturers, retailers and eateries across the state as part of a major drive against food adulteration and safety violations.

The heightened enforcement has seen inspections across Maharashtra, with authorities suspending licences, seizing food samples and taking action wherever serious violations have been detected.

The FDA recently suspended the food business licence of Mumbai-based Parsi Dairy Farm Pvt Ltd after finding serious food safety and hygiene violations, officials said on Thursday, according to PTI.

The action was part of a statewide inspection campaign conducted on July 14 and 15, during which FDA teams inspected dairy units, food manufacturers, restaurants and vendors. The drive reportedly led to the seizure of food products worth more than ₹1.90 crore.

Tukaram Mundhe's administrative record

Mundhe has become the face of the state's ongoing food safety enforcement drive since assuming charge of the FDA.

The IAS officer has had 25 transfers during his 21-year career, making him one of Maharashtra's most frequently transferred bureaucrats.

Earlier, under the "Safe Food, Safe Medicines, Safe Maharashtra" campaign, the FDA seized stocks of Aciloc 150 and Aciloc 300 worth around ₹2.45 crore. It also ordered a total market recall of the brand over concerns related to deceptive labelling and branding.

"Any confusion caused by a medicine's brand name among patients, doctors, or pharmacists, leading to the dispensing of the wrong medicine, is a matter of grave public health concern," FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe said, according to ANI.

"Compliance with regulations governing drug branding, labelling, and marketing, while ensuring patient safety, must remain paramount. Safe medicines are a fundamental right of every citizen, and safeguarding that right is our highest responsibility," he added.

FDA action linked to Siya Goyal's family business

One recent FDA action drew attention after the agency issued a notice to a spice and dry fruits shop owned by the family of Siya Goyal, who is currently accused in the murder of Pune realtor Ketan Agarwal.

The shop at Market Yard in Pune is operated by M/s BG Goyal and Company, a firm owned by Siya Goyal's family. Following an FDA inspection, the establishment was reportedly directed to stop business operations until further orders.

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Praveen Goyal, Siya Goyal's father, told reporters on Thursday that he was cooperating with the murder investigation but alleged that he and his family were being unnecessarily harassed, according to PTI.

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