CDSCO — central drug regulator
The pathSkills
This is the central version of the state Drug Inspector job. You join through UPSC into a permanent, pensionable post inside the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO). CDSCO approves new drugs, licenses imports, and runs the national drug rules. Pay follows set 7th-CPC levels and the job carries real regulatory power. But posts are few, the exam is competitive, and direct recruitment is small, so the cadre fills slowly.
The steps in this path
Common questions
You can apply after completing B.Pharm, but you cannot just join. You must clear the UPSC written exam and the interview to become a Drugs Inspector. Recent UPSC CDSCO recruitments do not require the old 18-month Schedule C experience, though some state DI exams may still ask for it.