Setting Up/ Up-gradation of Quality Control/ Food Testing Laboratory
This component is intended to provide common facilities for testing of food articles to both producers and consumers. The major objectives are:
- To establish a surveillance system for monitoring the quality and composition of food;
- To analyze the samples received from processing industries, and other stakeholders;
- To reduce the time for analysis of samples by reducing transportation time of samples;
- To ensure compliance of International standards on food in case of exports as well as imports.
Under the Scheme, the Central/ State Governments and their organizations/ Universities (including deemed universities) are eligible for grant in aid of entire cost of the laboratory equipments. In addition, they are also eligible for 25% of the cost of technical civil works to house the equipments and furniture & fixtures associated with the equipments for general areas and 33% for difficult areas. All other implementing agencies/ private sector organizations are eligible for grant-in-aid to the extent of 50% of cost of laboratory equipments and 25% of the cost of technical civil works to house the equipments and furniture & fixtures associated with the equipments for general areas and 70% of cost of lab equipment and 33% of technical civil works for difficult areas. This includes 5% of the grant amount as professional fees for Programme Management Agency (PMA) engaged for providing advisory and implementation services to Food testing/ Quality Control Laboratories and follow up actions.
When the Ministry establishes/ sponsors such food testing laboratories, there is no ceiling to financial assistance and the amount to be approved will be decided on case to case basis.
