Modern food & drug testing labs in 12 divs

Lucknow: Twelve out of 18 divisions in the state will have state-of-the-art food and drug testing centres by July this year.

These centres, to be equipped with hi-tech testing machinery, will enhance the quality and capacity of the state's ability to detect adulteration in food and pharmaceuticals.

A govt spokesperson said that once the labs are functional in Lucknow, Kanpur, Saharanpur, Ayodhya, Aligarh, and Gorakhpur divisions, work will start on the construction of a centre in each of the remaining six divisions.

Rekha Singh Chauhan, special secretary, food safety and drug administration department, said that the project has two key components: modernisation of existing labs in cities such as Lucknow, Agra, Meerut, Jhansi, Gorakhpur, and Varanasi and constructing new facilities in Aligarh, Azamgarh, Prayagraj, Kanpur, Chitrakoot, Devipatan, Ayodhya, Basti, Bareilly, Mirzapur, Moradabad and Saharanpur. A new departmental building has also been constructed in Lucknow to enable advanced food and drug analysis.

To support the additional infrastructure, govt has created positions for around 1,200 lab technicians and assistants. Their recruitment will be carried out by the personnel department.

"This initiative will significantly boost the state's testing capacity. Food sample testing is projected to increase from 36,000 in 2016–17 to 1.08 lakh samples annually, a nearly 300% jump. Drug sample testing capacity will surge by 450%, rising from 12,000 to 54,500 annual tests," said the official.

The enhanced testing capacity will allow govt to crack down on adulteration and counterfeit products across the state. "Beyond protecting public health, it also marks a crucial step toward strengthening the regulatory ecosystem and supporting the state's broader economic development goals," the official added.