Lok Sabha Question No. 2504 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-13
Subject: Setting up of New Drug Testing Laboratories
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Shri Mohibbullah

## GOVERNMENTOFINDIA MINISTRYOF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2504 TO BE ANSWERED ON 13 TH FEBRUARY, 2026

## SETTING UPOFNEW DRUG TESTING LABORATORIES

## 2504. SHRI MOHIBBULLAH:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has announced the setting up of new drug testing laboratories and strengthening of regulatory manpower in view of increasing global scrutiny of India's pharmaceutical exports and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the details of existing Central and State drug testing laboratories along with their capacity, manpower strength and vacancies, State-wise;
- (c) whether it is a fact that a significant number of drug samples tested in recent years were found to be of sub-standard quality, spurious or adulterated and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to upgrade infrastructure, ensure permanent staffing and strengthen oversight under schemes such as the Strengthening of States' Drug Regulatory System (SSDRS) to safeguard India's reputation as the 'pharmacy of the world'?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SMT. ANUPRIYAPATEL)

(a) to (d): For strengthening the drug regulatory system in the country, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has implemented a Centrally Sponsored Scheme Strengthening of States' Drug Regulatory System (SSDRS). The scheme envisages upgrading existing State laboratories, setting up of new drug testing laboratories and upgradation of existing State drug control offices in the country. Under the SSDRS Scheme, funds totalling Rs. 756 Crore has been released to States/UTs as part of the Central Share and 19 New Drug Testing Labs have been constructed and 28 existing labs have been up-graded in various States/UTs.

Details of State/UT wise list of Drug testing laboratories is provided at Annexure.

The number of sanctioned posts and filling of the vacant posts in State Drug testing laboratories comes under the purview of respective State Governments. Such information is not maintained centrally. There are a total of 276 sanctioned posts out of which 178 are filled and 98 vacant in CDSCO laboratories. Recruitment/filling up of the posts in laboratories is an ongoing process.

As per information received from States/UTs Drugs Controllers, the number of drug samples tested during last three years by various States/U.Ts and status regarding number of drug samples declared Not of Standard Quality/spurious/ adulterated as under:

| Financial Year   | Number of drugs samples tested   | Number of drugs samples declared Not of Standard Quality   |   Number of drugs samples declared Spurious/ Adulterated |   Number of prosecution for manufacturing, sale and distribution of spurious/adulterated drugs |
|------------------|----------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 2022-23          | 96,713                           | 3,053                                                      |                                                      424 |                                                                                            663 |
| 2023-24          | 1,06,150                         | 2,988                                                      |                                                      282 |                                                                                            604 |
| 2024-25          | 1,16,323                         | 3,104                                                      |                                                      245 |                                                                                            961 |

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Annexure referred to in reply to parts (a) to (d) of Lok Sabha unstarred Question No. 2504 for reply on 12.02.2026.

Annexure State/UT-wise list of the number of State Drug Testing Laboratories

|   Sl.No. | Name of the State/UT   |   Number of State Drug Testing Labs* |
|----------|------------------------|--------------------------------------|
|        1 | Andhra Pradesh         |                                    4 |
|        2 | Assam                  |                                    1 |
|        3 | Arunachal Pradesh      |                                    1 |
|        4 | Andaman &Nicobar       |                                    0 |
|        5 | Bihar                  |                                    1 |
|        6 | Chhattisgarh           |                                    1 |
|        7 | Delhi                  |                                    1 |
|        8 | Dadra NH , Daman &Diu  |                                    1 |
|        9 | Goa                    |                                    1 |
|       10 | Gujarat                |                                    3 |
|       11 | Haryana                |                                    2 |
|       12 | Himachal Pradesh       |                                    2 |
|       13 | Jharkhand              |                                    1 |
|       14 | Jammu &Kashmir         |                                    3 |
|       15 | Kerala                 |                                    7 |
|       16 | Karnataka              |                                    3 |
|       17 | Ladakh                 |                                    1 |
|       18 | Maharashtra            |                                    5 |
|       19 | Madhya Pradesh         |                                    4 |
|       20 | Manipur                |                                    1 |
|       21 | Meghalaya              |                                    1 |
|       22 | Mizoram                |                                    1 |
|       23 | Nagaland               |                                    1 |
|       24 | Odisha                 |                                    2 |
|       25 | Puducherry             |                                    1 |
|       26 | Punjab                 |                                    1 |
|       27 | Rajasthan              |                                    4 |
|       28 | Sikkim                 |                                    1 |
|       29 | Tamil Nadu             |                                    2 |
|       30 | Tripura                |                                    1 |
|       31 | Telangana              |                                    1 |
|       32 | Uttar Pradesh          |                                    7 |

|   33. | Uttarakhand   |
|-------|---------------|
|    34 | West Bengal   |

State/UT wise list of laboratories under the administrative control of Central Drugs Standard Control Organization:

|   Sr. No. | States/UTs       |   Number of Drug Testing Lab |
|-----------|------------------|------------------------------|
|         1 | Chandigarh       |                            1 |
|         2 | Himachal Pradesh |                            1 |
|         3 | West Bengal      |                            1 |
|         4 | Telangana        |                            2 |
|         5 | Tamil Nadu       |                            1 |
|         6 | Assam            |                            1 |
|         7 | Maharashtra      |                            3 |
|         8 | Madhya Pradesh   |                            1 |
|         9 | Odisha           |                            1 |
|        10 | Delhi            |                            1 |
|        11 | Gujarat          |                            1 |
|        12 | Karnataka        |                            1 |

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