Tukaram Mundhe, the Commissioner of Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is back in the spotlight. A video from Pune showed an entire auditorium rising to give him a standing ovation, and it has pushed his famous nickname, “Singham”, into headlines again.
Why Is He Called Singham?
The nickname comes from the Bollywood film character played by Ajay Devgn, an honest police officer who takes on the corrupt without fear. Supporters use it for Mundhe because of his strict, rule-first style. He is known for acting against sand mafias, land mafias and corrupt officials without bowing to political pressure. Some also call him “Man of Mission”.
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From Beed Village To The IAS
Mundhe was born on June 3, 1975, in Tadsona village in Maharashtra’s Beed district, into a farming family. He cleared the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination in 2004 with an All India Rank of 20. He joined the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) in 2005 in the Maharashtra cadre, starting as a supernumerary assistant collector in Solapur.
25 Transfers In 21 Years
His firm approach has come at a cost. Reports say he has been transferred around 25 times in about 21 years of service. One of his recent moves left him without a posting for nearly a month before the government named him FDA commissioner. Yet each time, he is said to have kept the same working style.
The FDA Crackdown
Mundhe took charge of the FDA on May 15, 2026, and moved quickly. He ordered tighter checks across the milk supply chain, from dairy farms to retailers, to stop adulteration. His “Safe Food, Safe Medicine, Safe Maharashtra” campaign has also targeted restaurants and other food outlets, and the FDA issued show-cause notices to actors over an advertisement for a prohibited product.
