Chandigarh, November 22, 2025: Haryana’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) organized the country’s first inter-state seminar on fake medicines and NDPS-related issues in Chandigarh, bringing together drug controllers from seven states along with senior officials from CID and police departments. The seminar marked a major step toward strengthening cooperation among neighboring states to curb counterfeit drugs and prevent the misuse of NDPS medicines as narcotics.
The objective of the seminar was to enhance coordination between states, promote information sharing, and improve enforcement through specialized training for officers. The event focused on developing a collective strategy to tackle fake drug networks and NDPS trafficking that often spread across state borders.
The seminar was inaugurated by Haryana’s Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Sudhir Rajpal. FDA Haryana Commissioner Dr. Manoj Kumar, State Drug Controller Lalit Kumar Goyal, and several field and headquarters officials were also present.
Dr. Manoj Kumar welcomed delegates and highlighted Haryana FDA’s achievements in handling NDPS cases. He emphasized the importance of cross-border cooperation to counter growing challenges in enforcement.
Sudhir Rajpal praised FDA Haryana for initiating the first-of-its-kind knowledge-sharing platform. He stated that counterfeit medicines and NDPS smuggling are not isolated problems but shared challenges that demand transparent coordination and robust data exchange between states. He urged all agencies to work with integrity and responsibility.
Former DGP and ex-CBI Joint Director Dr. Keshav Kumar, Maharashtra’s retired Joint Commissioner and State Drug Controller O.S. Sadhwani, and Haryana’s State Drug Controller Lalit Goyal shared key insights during technical sessions.
Dr. Keshav Kumar discussed the national pharmaceutical database being developed by the India Pharmaceutical Alliance and highlighted the crucial role of forensic science.
O.S. Sadhwani expressed concern over recent incidents where spurious or substandard drugs led to child fatalities, stressing the urgent need for quality assurance.
Lalit Goyal focused on illegal trafficking and misuse of controlled substances, calling for a multi-stakeholder approach. He also led a session on labelling norms and packaging standards, noting that seminar recommendations will be submitted to both state and central governments to strengthen future inter-state strategies.
A panel discussion was conducted by Himachal Pradesh State Drug Controller Manish Kapoor. Drug controllers from Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and other states—including Sanjeev Garg, Deepak Sharma, and Sushant Sharma—also participated. Over 70 officers from seven states attended the landmark event.
Assistant State Drug Controllers Karan Singh Godara and Parjinder Singh from FDA Haryana were also present.
