PANAJI: Mr Salim A Valjee, deputy director of Foods and Drugs Administrator (FDA) has been appointed to the post of director of FDA with effect from April 1, following the retirement of Mr Pramod Jain.

In 1985, Mr Jain came to Goa as assistant drugs control. When the new directorate of Food and Drugs was formed in 1991, he was promoted as Deputy Director. In 2006 he was appointed as Commissioner of Food Safety for the State, followed by the post of FDA director.

"I would like the pharmaceutical and drug industry to believe that we ran this office to the highest degree of integrity and fairness to ethical standards," Mr Pramod Jain, told The Navhind Times on the eve of his retirement as Goa’s FDA director. He served Goa for 25 years.

The achievements during is tenure includes, in the last 15 years, Mr Jain has seen the industry growing from 25 manufacturing units to over 100 units, with all doses forms, and the constructible growth of Rs5,000 crores, of which exports contribute Rs3,000 crores, the construction of the new F&D laboratory building in Bambolim, and approving of the new F&D building in Bambolim, construction is start soon, he said. From Goa pharmaceutical products are exported to the US, Europe, Australia, and many African countries. Mr Raj Vaidya of Hindu Pharmacy said Mr Jain is a simple officer open to ideas and very systematic, and no hanky-panky gimmicks. He ensured that Goa FDA continued to remain the cleanest in the country.