MUMBAI: Chief minister
Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday shunted out
Food and Drug Administration (
FDA) commissioner Abhimanyu
Kale after more than half a dozen cabinet members complained that he had been inept in handling the controversy over remdesivir supply and distribution in the state.
Kale was appointed FDA commissioner on October 20. Special commissioner (sales tax) Parimal Singh will succeed him. Housing minister Jeetendra
Awhad was the first to demand stern action against Kale, saying even after providing specific information of remdesivir stocks he had failed to act quickly. He was followed by urban development minister Eknath Shinde and skill development minister Nawab Malik.
Sensing the mood of the cabinet members, Thackeray stepped in and declared that Kale would be transferred immediately. “Awhad had briefed him on the movement of remdesivir in state. He had even given him the addresses where it might be stored, but he did not act,’’ a cabinet member said.