Quick Answer: Maharashtra’s high-profile bureaucrat has been transferred 25 times in 21 years of service. The cycle of Tukaram Mundhe’s transfers began at Solapur in August 2005, and now he runs the Food and Drug Administration in Maharashtra from May 2026. Most postings lasted a year or less, and nearly every exit followed a clash with powerful interests.
Few officers carry a file like his. The public praises him. Politicians resist him. He rarely finishes a term.
- 2005-batch IAS officer, Maharashtra cadre: 25 postings in 21 years.
- Born on 3 June 1975 in Tadsonna village, Beed district.
- Became Maharashtra FDA commissioner on 25 May 2026.
- 1,131 inspections and Rs 49.57 crore seized in under two months.
- Nicknamed “Singham” and the “Water Man of Maharashtra”.
- He was cleared in every inquiry into his disputed Nagpur tenure.
Who is Tukaram Mundhe?
Mundhe grew up on a farm in Beed. Money was tight. He worked the fields by day and read under a kerosene lamp at night, yet finished school with distinction. He then took a BA and an MA from Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and cleared the UPSC exam.
His mother, Asarabai, died in April 2026, aged 90. He rushed home from election duty in West Bengal, then broke with custom: instead of immersing her ashes in a river, the brothers planted a banyan sapling.
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Full List of Tukaram Mundhe Transfers
August 2005Trainee Deputy Collector, Solapur
| Date | Posting |
| September 2007 | Deputy Collector, Deglur |
| January 2008 | CEO, Nagpur Zilla Parishad |
| March 2009 | Commissioner, Tribal Development Department |
| July 2009 | CEO, Washim |
| June 2010 | CEO, Kalyan |
| June 2011 | Collector, Jalna |
| September 2012 | Joint Commissioner of Sales Tax, Mumbai |
| November 2014 | Collector, Solapur |
| May 2016 | Municipal Commissioner, Navi Mumbai |
| March 2017 | CEO, PMPML, Pune |
| February 2018 | Municipal Commissioner, Nashik |
| November 2018 | Joint Secretary, Planning Department |
| December 2018 | Project Officer, AIDS Control |
| January 2020 | Municipal Commissioner, Nagpur |
| August 2020 | Member Secretary, Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran |
| January 2021 | National Human Rights Commission |
| September 2022 | Commissioner of Health Services |
| April 2023 | Secretary, Animal Husbandry and Dairying |
| June 2023 | Secretary, Marathi Bhasha Department |
| July 2023 | Agriculture Commissioner |
| June 2024 | Commissioner, Unorganised Workers |
| August 2025 | Commissioner, Divyang Welfare Department |
| April 2026 | Principal Secretary, Relief and Rehabilitation |
| May 2026 | Commissioner, Food and Drug Administration |
Solapur, where he began, is among his longest stints. He returned as collector in 2014, broke the sand mafia’s grip and made hundreds of villages tanker-free under Jalyukt Shivar. That work earned him the “Water Man” tag, as Business Standard notes, and a ‘best collector’ award for 2015-16.
Why the Transfers Keep Coming
There are four reasons.
- Rulebook enforcement: Sudden raids on adulteration, fake milk networks, and illegal mining.
- Friction with leaders: Corporators say he sidelines them and acts arbitrarily.
- Lobby pressure: MLAs allege in the Assembly that trades lobbies spend heavily to have him removed.
- Direct outreach: His ‘Walk with the Commissioner’ scheme in Navi Mumbai allowed residents to raise complaints face to face. Citizens loved it. Politicians did not.
He shrugs it off. “Frequent transfers do not trouble me. In fact, change is an integral part of progress. The more transfers I have, the more opportunities I get to bring about positive changes,” he told PTI.
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Nagpur: His Most Contentious Posting
His seven months as Nagpur civic chief from January 2020 still follow him. BJP MLAs raised the tenure in the Assembly, alleging a Rs 20 crore payment to a contractor. The state’s response dismissed most of the allegations.
As The Print has documented, police and Economic Offences Wing enquiries gave him a clean chit. Congress MLA Vijay Wadettiwar backed him: “All enquiries have pointed to how Tukaram Mundhe is not guilty.”
Inside the 2026 FDA Crackdown
His first press note set the tone: “The administration will show no leniency whatsoever to any person or establishment that plays with the health of the public.”
The numbers followed. Moneycontrol’s coverage records 1,131 inspections in under two months, over 20 a day. Officials seized stock worth Rs 49.57 crore, including 1.6 lakh litres of allegedly adulterated milk.
Licences of 56 restaurants were suspended, MCOCA was invoked against organised gutkha networks, and junk food was banned within 50 metres of school gates.
The names hit hard. K Rustom & Co., Noor Mohammadi, Shalimar, Waarsa, Flint, Parsi Dairy Farm, the Cricket Club of India, Willingdon Sports Club and Juhu Gymkhana all faced action, a Gulf News report confirms. Inspectors flagged pests, poor storage, and missing records.
His door stays open, though. The Indian Express found that between 4 and 5 pm daily, anyone may walk into his Bandra Kurla Complex office. An audience is easy; leniency is not.
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Courts, Complaints and Criticism
The Bombay High Court has pulled up the FDA more than once. “Shooting first and asking questions later may be a rule of the Wild West but does not apply in law,” it observed, telling the department to judge government canteens by the same yardstick as private restaurants.
Meanwhile, 29 officials from the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar office have complained to FDA Minister Narhari Zirwal about long hours. Pan shop owners have protested statewide, saying harsh criminal laws hit small retailers.
Deccan Herald’s report on his 21-year run frames the debate neatly: even critics accept his honesty. The argument is about method. Industrialist Harsh Goenka calls him “an honest officer India needs more of”.
FAQs
How many times has Tukaram Mundhe been transferred?
Ans: He has been moved 25 times in 21 years, widely seen as a record for a Maharashtra-cadre IAS officer.
Which IAS batch does Tukaram Mundhe belong to?
Ans: He belongs to the 2005 batch of the Maharashtra cadre, joining as a trainee deputy collector in Solapur in August 2005.
Why is Tukaram Mundhe called Singham?
Ans: The nickname reflects his tough, by-the-book style. Supporters compare him to the fearless Bollywood police character who fights powerful interests.
What is Tukaram Mundhe’s current posting?
Ans: He is the commissioner of Maharashtra’s Food and Drug Administration, in charge since 25 May 2026, leading the state’s food safety drive.
Was Tukaram Mundhe found guilty of corruption in Nagpur?
Ans: No. Police and EOW enquiries cleared him, and the state told the Assembly there was no misappropriation.
Where was Tukaram Mundhe born?
Ans: He was born on 3 June 1975 in Tadsonna village, Beed district, to a farming family.
Sources & References
- Gulf News – K Rustom & Co., Noor Mohammadi, Shalimar, Waarsa, Flint, Parsi Dairy Farm, the Cricket Club of India, Willingdon Sports Club and Juhu Gymkhana all faced action by Tukaram.
- The Indian Express – Between 4 and 5 pm daily, anyone can walk into his office at the Bandra Kurla Complex.
- Money Control – He has conducted 1,131 inspections in under two months, over 20 a day.
- The Print – Police and the Economic Offences Wing’s enquiries gave him a clean chit in the Nagpur case.
