Why CDSCO and BEE have not kept pace with the industries they oversee

CDSCO still faces challenges like chronic understaffing, gaps in technical skills, weak lab infra and fragmented approvals. About a decade back, the organisation was recommended a benchmark of 1 inspector for every 50 manufacturing units. Yet, in end-2023, it carried a strength of barely 200 inspectors against a sanctioned strength of about 500 drug inspectors. Even its digitisation drive produced several overlapping portals that applicants report as glitch-ridden and difficult to comprehend.