Govt extends Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi's tenure as DCGI by one year

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The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved an extension of tenure for Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi as Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for a one-year term.

 

Raghuvanshi, who took charge as DCGI on February 23, 2023, was initially set to superannuate on February 28 this year. In addition, he also holds the additional charge of secretary-cum-scientific director of the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC).

 

This extension will be on a contract basis with effect from March 1, 2025, or until the appointment of a regular incumbent to the post, whichever is earlier, according to an order by the ACC.

 

The move comes after the Health Ministry proposed to the ACC that Raghuvanshi be re-employed as DCGI until a suitable candidate is found.

 

Anticipating his retirement, the government, in August last year, advertised for the DCGI position. The deadline to apply was later extended to November 2024 due to insufficient response.

 

The DCGI is the head of the country’s apex health regulatory body, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), which is responsible for the regulation, manufacturing, sales, export, and import of all medicines, vaccines, cosmetics, and medical devices in the country.

 

Under his leadership, the CDSCO has intensified crackdowns on substandard and counterfeit drugs and improved pharmacovigilance systems. He also oversaw the notification of revised Schedule M standards, which seek to set quality standards and good manufacturing practices for Indian drugmakers.

 

An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology (BHU), Raghuvanshi holds a PhD from the National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi. He has previously worked in multinational companies such as Ranbaxy Laboratories and Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL).