Bengaluru, 21 October

The Karnataka government has directed departments facing a shortage of inspection staff to engage authorised third-party agencies to carry out scheduled inspections, audits, and certifications, aiming to complete regulatory checks within stipulated timelines.

The move will initially focus on departments where staff shortages at the field level have resulted in a backlog of routine inspections, according to an official release issued on Wednesday.

The departments concerned include Legal Metrology, which conducts annual inspections and stamping of weights and measuring instruments; Food Safety and Drugs Administration, which inspects food businesses, restaurants, medical stores and pharmacies; and the Department of Factories and Boilers, which undertakes safety inspections and annual certification of industrial boilers.

The order clarifies that outsourcing inspections will not dilute the statutory powers of government officials.

Powers relating to the collection of food and drug samples, seizure of goods and prosecution will remain exclusively with government officials, it said. Officials will use reports and audit findings submitted by the agencies to focus on establishments identified as high-risk, enabling more targeted enforcement.

SAFEGUARDS 

The government has also prescribed safeguards to ensure accountability and quality of inspections. Departmental officials will conduct random spot checks to verify the accuracy of these reports and agencies found guilty of negligence, irregularities or lapses may be blacklisted. 

The departments have been asked to submit time-bound action plans covering empanelment procedures, eligibility criteria and measures for early implementation of the new system, according to the order by Harsha Gupta, Principal Secretary, Department of Praja Seva, based on recommendations made by the Karnataka Administrative Reforms Commission-2 (KARC-2).

The issue will also be reviewed at the Karnataka Development Programme (KDP) progress review meeting chaired by the Chief Secretary.