New Delhi: In a major regulatory push aimed at curtailing the illegal trade and misuse of controlled substances, the drugs control administration (DCA) of the Government of NCT of Delhi has issued a formal order making it mandatory for all drug licensees in the capital to upload real-time purchase and sales data in a newly launched digital portal.
According to an official circular dated August 24, 2026, signed by Rajeev Bhargava, Head of Office and Controlling Authority, the live Delhi Drugs Monitoring System (DMS) platform, accessible at drugsmonitoring.delhi.gov.in, must now be utilized by both retail and wholesale pharmaceutical establishments across the National Capital Territory.
Developed by the Delhi DCA in close coordination with the National Informatics Centre (NIC-Delhi), the specialized monitoring system has been designed specifically to track habit-forming, psychotropic, and narcotic formulations. According to sources from the department, while the portal places primary focus on narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, and Schedule H1 medicines, including recently added habit-forming compounds like Pregabalin, the operative compliance mandate applies strictly to all products listed and mapped inside an individual licensee’s DMS account interface.
Under the new operational instructions, drug license holders must access the portal using the registered mobile numbers currently linked with their online drug licensing system (ONDLS) profiles. Once logged in, chemists and distributors are required to systematically log all incoming purchase transactions from suppliers as well as outgoing sales to retail customers or healthcare facilities, ensuring complete digital visibility across the supply chain from manufacturer to end user.
Responding to the administrative directive, the Delhi pharma traders body advised the chemist community to take immediate steps to ready their technical infrastructure and verify their registered credentials. The association emphasized that members should not assume only traditional Schedule H1 drugs require entry, but must actively check the actual product range populated inside their portal accounts to avoid non-compliance during regulatory reviews.
Industry compliance experts also stressed that the digital portal does not replace existing physical record-keeping duties governed under the Central Drugs and Cosmetics Rules. Chemists remain legally obligated to maintain hard-copy of Schedule H1 registers containing patient details, prescriber credentials, drug quantities, and batch numbers for a minimum of three years, alongside preserving written doctor orders and institutional supply bills for two years.
To prevent discrepancies during official inspections, trade advisors are recommending a rigorous three-way reconciliation workflow for all pharmacy operators. Chemists should continuously cross-verify physical stock against purchase invoices and sales prescriptions, ensuring that hard-copy accounting seamlessly mirrors the electronic purchase and sale entries reflected on the live DMS platform.
While the department’s circular confirms the portal is active with immediate mandatory effect, it does not outline specific financial penalties or grace periods for adoption. Establishments encountering portal access errors or data mapping issues have been instructed to contact the Drugs Control Department directly at its headquarters at Karkardooma in the national capital.
