DN Exclusive: Allegations in Jan Aushadhi CEO Appointment, Delhi HC Moved, Pharma Secretary Under Lens

New Delhi: A controversy has emerged over the appointment of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for the Prime Minister’s flagship Jan Aushadhi Scheme under the Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI). A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Delhi High Court, alleging serious irregularities in the selection process. The PIL, filed by petitioner Manoj Kumar Rai under Articles 226 and 227 of the Constitution, claims that the appointment process lacked transparency and fairness and was influenced to benefit a particular candidate. According to the Dynamite News correspondent, the advertisement for the CEO post was first issued in May 2025. The initial deadline for applications was 23 May, later extended twice—first to 7 June and then to 21 June. The petition alleges that these extensions were made to accommodate a serving IAS officer from the Delhi State Government. While all applications were to be submitted online via https://recruitment.pmbi.in, the alleged IAS officer’s application was reportedly accepted offline—and that too during the final days of submission—raising concerns over procedural deviations. More than 50 officers from central, state, and defence services are said to have applied for the position. However, only two candidates were called for the interview—one, the same alleged officer from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), and another from the Indian Ordinance Factory Services (IOFS). The petition further alleges that the IAS officer, who was initially declared ineligible by a subordinate official, was later deemed eligible after some doubtful intervention, which the petitioner claims was in violation of established rules. Interviews for the two shortlisted candidates were held on 30 July by a three-member panel Chaired by the Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals, Amit Agarwal. The petition claims that no public information was provided about the status of the other applicants, nor were details of the interview date uploaded to the official website prior to the interviews. Amit Agarwal, a 1993-batch IAS officer from the Chhattisgarh cadre, is now under increased scrutiny. He served in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) during the UPA-I and UPA-II governments from 2004 to 2013, holding positions such as Director and Joint Secretary. In 2014, just before the change in government, he returned to his parent cadre, only to be brought back to the Centre in 2016 under the Modi Government. Since then, he has served in key roles including Joint Secretary and Additional Secretary in the Department of Financial Services (DFS). Agarwal has spent nine out of ten years under the UPA government on central deputation, that too in the PMO, and another nine years so far under the Modi government—prompting questions in some circles regarding his extended presence at the Centre. The Jan Aushadhi Scheme is a key welfare initiative by the Government of India, aimed at ensuring affordable and quality generic medicines to the public. Over 15,000 Jan Aushadhi Kendras are currently operational across the country. The CEO position has remained vacant after the completion of the tenure of 2014-batch IAS officer Ravi Dadhich, who served in the role for nearly three and a half years. The petition seeks that the current appointment process be declared void and calls for a new, transparent, and time-bound selection process. The matter is expected to come up for hearing in the Delhi High Court next week. When Dynamite News tried to reach out to Pharma Secretary Amit Agarwal for his response, calls to his mobile phone went unanswered. A staff member at his office said, “Sir is in a meeting.” The matter has generated significant interest across bureaucratic and political circles, with many watching closely as the court takes up the issue in the coming days.