Drug panel recommends CCTV at all pharmacies; chemists object

The Drugs Technical Advisory Board, which advises the central government, recommended at its August 27 meeting that CCTV cameras be installed at all pharmacy sales premises and that all NDPS drugs be tracked in the supply chain. The proposal is with Drug Controller General of India Dr Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi. In a September 17 letter to the Health Ministry, AIOCD, with over 15 lakh members, said six to eight cameras, DVR, storage and internet would cost Rs 50,000-1 lakh, and cited rural power and connectivity problems.

Written by AI from News18 — India · not yet reviewed by an editor · Published 19 Sept 2026, 10:28 am IST

Source

News18 — India · read the original report ↗

#pharmacies#cctv#dtab#ndps#aiocd#drug-regulation

Desk check · compared with the source

What the desk checked (5)

DTAB, which met on August 27, recommended CCTV installation at sales premises and track-and-trace of all NDPS drugs. — Attributed to meeting minutes seen by News18; source names the panel and date.
The proposal is now with Drug Controller General of India Dr Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi for final execution. — Stated in source without further attribution; named official.
AIOCD wrote to the Health Ministry on September 17, citing recurring costs of about Rs 50,000-1 lakh for cameras, DVR/NVR, storage, wiring and internet. — Quoted directly from the letter, addressed to Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava; figure appears in source.
AIOCD represents more than 15 lakh members. — Figure appears in source, attributed to the association's description; not independently verifiable.
Retailer Gurumurthy Ganapathy and former TNCDA president Ramachandran Mannargudi oppose the move, citing rural power and internet limitations. — Directly quoted individuals; opinions clearly attributed.

Written by AI from News18 — India · not yet reviewed by an editor · How we use AI · Report an error

Analysts’ view opinion

AI Policy Analyst

This is a case where the policy goal is sound but the instrument is questionable. Curbing the diversion of narcotic and psychotropic drugs is a genuine public health interest, but the DTAB recommendation places the compliance burden for a supply-chain-wide problem on the weakest link — the small retail chemist. A uniform, nationwide mandate is near-costless for large pharmacy chains that already have cameras, while for a village shop it becomes a question of survival.

The proposal is still at the DCGI stage, which means there is policy room for exemptions, phased rollout or subsidies before it hardens into a rule.
The Rs 50,000–1 lakh estimate comes from the AIOCD, and chemists argue it is not a one-time cost but a recurring one once storage and maintenance are counted.
Demanding continuous recording in areas with unreliable power and internet risks a classic implementation gap — a rule that exists on paper but cannot be governed on the ground.
Retailers make a defensible policy argument that a camera cannot validate a prescription, and that track-and-trace at the manufacturing source would be a more targeted, less burdensome lever.
Who accesses the footage, how long it must be stored and how patient privacy is protected are governance details not settled in the story — yet they will decide whether this works.

What to watch — Watch whether the DCGI's final order carves out small and rural pharmacies, offers financial support, or limits the mandate to outlets that actually stock NDPS drugs.

A DTAB recommendation is not a finalised regulation, and this story does not establish the timeline, storage duration, exemptions or whether any subsidy will be offered.

Deep dive

Research brief · 8 facts · 4 dates · exam-ready

The brief

Context

India's top technical advisory panel on drugs, the Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB), has recommended that CCTV cameras be made mandatory at every pharmacy sales counter in the country, along with track-and-trace of all Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) through the supply chain. The aim is to create an auditable digital trail to curb diversion of narcotic painkillers and habit-forming cough syrups into the illegal market. The proposal, cleared at DTAB's August 27 meeting, is now with the Drug Controller General of India for execution. Chemists' bodies, led by the All India Organisation of Chemists & Druggists (AIOCD), have objected on grounds of cost and rural infrastructure constraints.

Key facts

DTAB, at its meeting on August 27, cleared a proposal for installation of CCTV at sales premises and tracking and tracing of all NDPS drugs in the supply chain, per minutes seen by News18.
The proposal now sits with the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), Dr Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi, for final execution.
AIOCD, India's largest chemists' and drug distributors' body with more than 15 lakh members, wrote to the Ministry of Health in a letter dated September 17.
AIOCD estimated recurring expenditure of roughly Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh for six to eight cameras, DVR/NVR systems, storage, wiring, internet connectivity and maintenance.
The AIOCD letter was addressed to Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava.
AIOCD cited frequent power failures and poor internet connectivity in rural areas as making continuous CCTV recording technically impractical.
Retailer Gurumurthy Ganapathy, who runs five rural medical shops, cited 90-day storage drives as a burden and sought exemptions or full subsidies for small rural pharmacies.
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has also pushed for stricter monitoring to prevent drug abuse among minors.

Timeline

For years before the recommendationRegulators voiced concern over diverted medicines, especially narcotic pain relievers and habit-forming cough syrups, reaching the illegal drug market; NCPCR pushed for stricter monitoring.
August 27DTAB meets and clears the proposal for CCTV at pharmacy sales premises and track-and-trace of all NDPS drugs.
After the DTAB meetingProposal moves to DCGI Dr Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi for final execution.
September 17AIOCD writes an urgent letter to the Health Ministry opposing the mandate on cost and infrastructure grounds.

Who has a stake

Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) — Top panel advising the central government on regulation of drugs, cosmetics and medical devices; it framed the CCTV and NDPS track-and-trace recommendation.
Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), Dr Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi — Holds the proposal for final execution, deciding how and whether the surveillance mandate is rolled out.
AIOCD — Representing over 15 lakh chemists and distributors, it says the Rs 50,000-1 lakh cost should not fall on retailers and warns of business threat.
Small and rural chemists — Operate on minimal margins; face camera, storage and maintenance costs plus power outages and weak internet; seek exemption or subsidy.
Large pharmacy chains — Many already have CCTV systems and can absorb compliance costs, raising fairness concerns about a uniform rule.
Ministry of Health / Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava — Recipient of the AIOCD representation; must balance anti-trafficking enforcement against retailer viability.
NCPCR — Has sought stricter monitoring of drug sales to prevent drug abuse among minors.
Patients and consumers — Transactions at pharmacy counters could be recorded; access to neighbourhood chemists in rural areas could be affected if shops shut.

Why it matters

Diversion of narcotic painkillers and habit-forming cough syrups from legal retail into the illegal market is a public health and law-enforcement problem, and the state is now proposing surveillance at the last mile to plug it. But the compliance burden falls on lakhs of small chemists with thin margins in areas with unreliable power and internet, raising questions of feasibility, equity and consumer privacy. How the DCGI settles this will shape whether drug-abuse control is pursued at the retail counter or at the manufacturing source.

UPSC angle

Prelims pointers

DTAB is the top statutory panel advising the central government on regulation of drugs, cosmetics and medical devices.
DCGI is Dr Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi; the CCTV proposal awaits execution with him.
NDPS stands for Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances; DTAB sought their track-and-trace across the supply chain.
AIOCD is India's largest chemists' and drug distributors' body, with over 15 lakh members.
AIOCD's cost estimate: Rs 50,000-1 lakh for 6-8 cameras, DVR/NVR, storage, wiring, internet and maintenance.
NCPCR has pushed for stricter monitoring of drug sales to curb drug abuse among minors.

Mains framing

The DTAB recommendation for mandatory CCTV at pharmacy sales premises, coupled with track-and-trace of all NDPS drugs, responds to a long-standing regulatory concern that narcotic pain relievers and habit-forming cough syrups are being diverted from legal retail channels into the illegal market, a concern also voiced by the NCPCR in the context of minors. The logic is to create an auditable digital trail at the point of sale. The objections, however, are structural rather than merely commercial: AIOCD, with over 15 lakh members, pegs the cost at Rs 50,000-1 lakh per outlet, and rural retailers point to frequent power failures and poor internet that make continuous recording and 90-day storage impractical, while large chains that already run CCTV face little incremental burden, creating an uneven playing field. Critics such as the former TNCDA president argue cameras cannot verify prescriptions or dispensed medicines, details already captured in legal registers and billing, and that a direct track-and-trace system at the manufacturing source would be more effective than burdening retail. A calibrated way forward could combine upstream track-and-trace for controlled drugs with phased or subsidised compliance and exemptions for small rural pharmacies, so that enforcement does not shrink last-mile access to medicines.

Key terms

DTAB: Drugs Technical Advisory Board, the top panel that advises the central government on regulation of drugs, cosmetics and medical devices.
DCGI: Drug Controller General of India, the central drug regulator; currently Dr Rajeev Singh Raghuvanshi, who holds the proposal for execution.
NDPS: Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances - controlled medicines that DTAB wants tracked and traced across the supply chain.
AIOCD: All India Organisation of Chemists & Druggists, India's largest body of chemists and drug distributors, with over 15 lakh members.
Track and trace: A system creating a digital trail of a drug's movement; chemists want it applied at the manufacturing source rather than at retail counters.
DVR/NVR: Digital or network video recorder equipment needed to record and store CCTV footage, part of the cost chemists object to.

Practice questions

Critically examine whether point-of-sale surveillance at pharmacies is an effective instrument to curb diversion of narcotic and psychotropic drugs in India.
Discuss the equity and feasibility concerns raised by small and rural chemists against uniform regulatory compliance mandates. Suggest a calibrated alternative.
The Drugs Technical Advisory Board advises the central government on which of the following? Discuss its role in India's drug regulatory architecture with reference to the CCTV recommendation.

Grounded only in the source report — figures and dates are the source's, not inferred.

Next storyVenezuela, opposition faction near deal to shift $4 billion gold to US →

← All stories