LUCKNOW : Sampling and testing of food items and medicines in the state would be increased soon. Construction of Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) labs was underway in 12 divisions at a cost of ₹934 crore, said a press statement from the state government.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has directed the FSDA to increase the annual collection of samples of medicines for testing to 20,000. Five years ago, the department collected less than 8,000 samples annually, said the press statement issued on Sunday.
The FSDA will increase collection of drug and food samples to 20,000 and 60,000 respectively.
The FSDA conducted raids and seized more than 32 lakh counterfeit medicines in the week-long campaign against the drug mafia that ended on September 1.
According to data, the FSDA had seized counterfeit medicines worth ₹83 crore and cancelled more than 7,000 drug licences, while 770 accused had also been arrested in the past five and half years of Yogi government, said the press statement.
“Between March 8 and September 1, 174 raids were conducted and counterfeit medicines worth about ₹6 crore were seized whereas 66 accused were arrested for dealing in unlicensed and counterfeit drugs,” said Anita Singh, additional chief secretary, FSDA.
Under the instructions of chief minister Yogi Adityanath, the FSDA would increase collection of food samples to 60,000, in addition to operating a mobile food laboratory between two districts of the state. During his last term, the CM had instructed the FSDA to increase the capabilities of laboratories in the state, which led to upgrading of the laboratories in Meerut, Varanasi and Agra, said the press statement.
At present, FSDA labs are operating in six divisions of the state, namely Meerut, Agra, Jhansi, Lucknow, Varanasi and Gorakhpur while construction of new labs at a cost of ₹934 crore is underway in 12 divisions. The labs are expected to be complete in the next one and a half years.
The FSDA had recently busted an unlicensed homeopathic medicine factory in Aligarh on August 30, in which 25 lakh animal medicines and food supplements were seized. Simultaneously, six samples were taken for testing and three accused were arrested.
