The Chhattisgarh government has taken a major step towards strengthening public health infrastructure by approving a significant budget for a new state-of-the-art testing facility.
Administrative Approval and Budget Sanction
The state administration has granted administrative approval of Rs 46.49 crore for the construction of an Integrated Food and Drug Testing Laboratory combined with a Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) building. This project will be established in Nava Raipur, the new capital region. The plan, initially announced as a key promise in the state's budget for the financial year 2025-26, has now moved forward with formal sanction and land allocation.
Details of the New Facility
The upcoming facility is set to be a transformative upgrade. It will be built on a spacious 1.5-acre plot, a substantial increase from the current cramped setup. Presently, the state's food and drug testing operations are conducted from a modest 5,000 square feet ground-plus-two storey building located in Raipur. The health department's statement highlights that this expansion is crucial for modernizing the state's regulatory and quality control mechanisms.
Massive Boost in Testing Capacity
The most significant impact of the new lab will be on its operational capacity. According to official estimates, the existing facility handles between 500 and 800 chemical test samples per year. Once the new Integrated Food and Drug Testing Laboratory becomes operational, this number is projected to skyrocket to an impressive 7,000 to 8,000 samples annually. This nearly tenfold increase will enhance the monitoring of food safety and drug quality across Chhattisgarh, ensuring better protection for consumers.
The move underscores the government's focus on investing in critical health infrastructure. The new building will not only centralize operations but also provide a modern workspace for the FDA, enabling more efficient oversight and faster turnaround times for essential testing services.
