Shillong, Aug 28: The state government has urged the Assembly not to cut the provision of a supplementary demand of Rs 2.37 crore, which was required to pay salaries in order to sustain the food testing mechanism and ensure food safety for citizens of the state.
The amount is required to pay salaries of 13 newly appointed Food Safety Officers (FSOs) and 21 contractual technical staff of the State Food Testing Laboratory, Health Minister Wailadmiki Shylla told the Assembly on Friday.
Of the total amount, Rs 1.98 crore is for FSO salaries and Rs 39.15 lakh for the lab staff, Shylla said in reply to a cut motion from Ardent Basaiawmoit, Miani D Shira, Brightstarwell Marbaniang and Mizanur Kazi.
The 13 FSOs were appointed on 9 December 2025 through MPSC after the 2026-27 budget was submitted.
They have been posted in all districts, including 4 in East Khasi Hills and 3 in West Garo Hills.
The 21 lab staff – working at the state’s lone food testing lab at Pasteur Hills since 1981 – were earlier funded by FSSAI and later absorbed by the state government on January 13, 2026 to ensure continuity of testing.
Shylla said the lab has tested 16,682 samples between April 2021 and April 2026 and that food safety enforcement depends on both field staff and lab analysis.
“In the last three years, we have done 3,756 inspections and collected 2,844 regulatory and 5,741 surveillance samples,” he said, adding that the provision is operational and linked to consumer protection.
On fish testing, he said 30 of 788 samples in 2023-24 tested positive for formalin, leading to a 15-day ban on imported fresh fish. He urged the House not to cut the provision.
