TUKARAM MUNDHE I.A.S - 25 TRANSFERS IN 21 YEARS

Tukaram Mundhe is the real life Singham. 

The IAS officer from the 2005 Maharashtra Cadre has faced 25 transfers in his 21 years of service.

If you are upright, you have to be happy it wasn't 50 transfers or more. You have to be happy you are still in service. You have to be happy you are still around.

Every once in a while, we get to witness the resounding impact of a firebrand government officer who lives up to the ideal image of how a public servant should function.

Tukaram Mundhe, Commisioner of Maharashtra's Food & Drug Administration (FDA), had assumed charge only in May 2026. Spearheading high profile statewise raids,  inspection of eateries and food manufacturers and looking for evidence of  adulterated food and unhygienic practices, he has won accolades from the general public. They want him retained and not transferred.

But one Mundhe every now and then isn't what we need.

More than just celebrating the work of one upright public officer, the people, the judiciary and the media need to closely look at all the actions of all officers occupying important positions, especially  jobs that directly affect people's lives. 

Mundhe's clampdown has brought to the focus that several eateries in Maharashtra and leading food brands have been found to be violating the food safety laws.  There is a general sense of shock at the names involved. Had it not been for for Mundhe, these establishments and companies would have continued their business as usual.

Mundhe's efforts shouldn't have been exemplary in the first place. It should have been the default situation of food regulation in India.

However, we get the the administration we deserve.

Mundhe is a product of the Indian Adminstrative Service. It is India's elite public service. It selects the most meritorious students who crack one of the most rigorous exams. Yet officers like Mundhe tend to be the exception rather than the rule. It definitely is not a good sign of governance when things depend on one individual officer to correct the system. 

Mundhe had revealed the true potential of his department in setting things right within weeks after taking charge, disrupting the status quo. Of course nothing like this had happened when Mundhe's predecessors were in charge.

The questions are,"Why is it so difficult for most officials to instil accountability in their departments?" "Why are poor quality products  sold in India by companies that sell better quality products in other countries?" "Why do Indians faced with administrative apathy, learn to become fatalist in their beliefs and approach to life?"

One official becoming a sort of messiah is not what India's administration needs. It needs a majority of its public servants to provide honest, consistent and diligent service. Then routine inspections will not be replaced with once in a blue moon raids.

Going by his track record, Mundhe will soon be replaced. But this time, the state food commosioner will be under compulsion to raise the bar and not lower it.

Excerpts from:

WHAT HEADLINES ON TUKARAM MUNDHE TELL US

That we laud Maharashtra's FDA chief for doing his job, shows low public expectations from administrators.                                                                                                                              
We should demand more, and also know that lone crusaders often get tagged as "high-handed'

Kiran Kabtta Somvanshi in The Times of India of 26 August 2026