If an IAS officer decides to demonstrate selfless service, no one can match him in popularity. Maharashtra IAS officer Tukaram Mundhe has just proved that.
Mundhe, who became internet sensation after his stern action as Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner to institute food safety, has become a trending topic on Instagram, surpassing all top political leaders of the state, including Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Tukaram is the number one in terms of number of followers and engagement. He currently has 34.15 lakh followers. The engagement rate is 20.35 percent. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has 29.02 lakh followers. The engagement rate is 0.50 percent while Shinde has 13.01 lakh followers with engagement rate of 0.24 percent as per the figure released in August, 2026.
Who is Tukaram Mundhe?
Tukaram is a 2005 batch Maharashtra cadre IAS officer. He has been the Maharashtra FDA Commissioner since May 2026. Tukaram's stance is fearless and uncompromising. He has been transferred 25 times in his 21 years of service. Tukaram was also given the title of Waterman of Maharashtra for saving drought-hit villages from tanker mafias during his time as Collector in Jalna and Solapur districts.
After becoming FDA Commissioner, he took stern action against food adulteration and unhygienic kitchens in restaurants. Tukaram's team inspected more than 3,000 restaurants in the state and took action, including cancelling their licenses. Videos of Tukaram visiting the kitchens of restaurants for surprise inspections were widely circulated on social media.
He made public headlines by enforcing mandatory free safe drinking water at restaurants, banning chemical-heavy fake (“analogue”) paneer, and outlawing the age-old practice of wrapping vada pav in ink-heavy newspapers.
His cultural footprint is now so massive that a recently published biography chronicling his administrative journey crossed 1 lakh copies sold within weeks, often earning him standing ovations at public forums.
Vivek Shukla is a management graduate who has worked in corporate worked for 20 years and is now pursuing his passion — news.
