Chhattisgarh govt approves Rs 46.49 crore for new drug-testing lab & FDA building

The Chhattisgarh government has granted administrative approval of Rs 46.49 crore for the construction of an Integrated Food and Drug Testing Laboratory-cum-Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) building in Nava Raipur Atal Nagar, officials said on Tuesday.

The plan to construct a new FDA building had been announced in the budget for financial year 2025-26.

The project, initiated as per the vision of Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, aimed at significantly strengthening the state's food and drug testing infrastructure, an official statement said.

For the facility, 1.5 acres of land has been allotted in Nava Raipur, it said.

At present, the state's food and drug testing laboratory operates in a 5,000 sqft ground-plus-two storied structure in Raipur. The new laboratory will be spread over 30,000 sqft in a ground-plus-three storied building and equipped with advanced drug and enforcement testing technologies, it said.

With the upgraded facility, the chemical testing capacity will increase from the current 500-800 samples per year to 7,000-8,000 samples annually.

Microbiological tests for products like injections and eye drops will reach 2,000 samples per year, the release said.

Testing of medical items, such as gloves and catheters, will also begin, with an estimated capacity of 500 samples annually. Pharmaceutical sample testing will rise from 50 to nearly 1,000 samples per year, it said.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Shyam Bihari Jaiswal thanked the chief minister for approving the project and said the new laboratory would greatly strengthen the state's food safety framework.

The minister said the enhanced testing capabilities would make processes more transparent, efficient and citizen-friendly, ensuring access to safe, certified and high-quality food products and medicines.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)