Hans News Service Bengaluru

Thegovernment has directed various departments to engage authorised third-party agencies to carry out scheduled inspections, audits and certification activities in areas where staff shortages have delayed regulatory checks.

The move is aimed at addressing delays in routine inspections, particularly in departments facing a shortage of field-level personnel, and ensuring that regulatory requirements are completed within the stipulated timelines.The new arrangement will initially prioritise departments such as Legal Metrology, Food Safety and Drugs Administration, and the Department of Factories and Boilers.

Under legal metrology, third-party agencies may be engaged to conduct annual inspections and stamping of weights and measuring instruments. In the Food Safety and Drugs Administration sector, the arrangement will cover annual inspections of food businesses, restaurants, medical stores and pharmacies. Agencies may also be assigned safety inspections and annual certification of industrial boilers.

The government has clarified that outsourcing inspection work will not mean transferring statutory enforcement powers to private agencies. Legal and regulatory powers will remain entirely with government officials. Powers relating to the collection of food and drug samples, seizure of goods and prosecution will continue to rest with authorised government officers. Officials will use the reports and audit findings submitted by the agencies to focus their attention on establishments identified as high-risk. This risk-based approach is intended to help departments deploy their limited staff more effectively.To ensure the reliability of inspections, departmental officials will also conduct random spot checks to verify the findings submitted by third-party agencies.

The government has warned that agencies found guilty of negligence, irregularities or misconduct will face stringent action, including blacklisting.As part of the implementation process, the departments concerned have been asked to submit time-bound action plans covering empanelment procedures, eligibility criteria and the steps required for speedy implementation. The issue will also be reviewed at the KDP progress review meeting chaired by the Chief Secretary.

The government order was issued by Harsha Gupta, Principal Secretary of the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms, based on recommendations made by the Karnataka Administrative Reforms Commission-2 (KARC-2).

He has directed the principal secretaries of all departments to prepare the necessary action plans.