SHILLONG : Health Minister Wailadmiki Shylla on Friday defended the Meghalaya Government’s supplementary demand of ₹2.37 crore for food safety enforcement and the State Food Testing Laboratory, saying the funds were necessary to keep the entire food safety system functioning.
Replying to a cut motion during the last day of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly session, Shylla said the supplementary demand has two components ₹1.98 crore for the salaries of Food Safety Officers and ₹39.15 lakh for other contractual services at the State Food Testing Laboratory.
He said food safety enforcement cannot stop at inspection or collection of samples, as the samples must be received, coded, prepared, analysed, quality checked and reported before regulatory action can be taken.
“Enforcement without testing lacks scientific proof, while a laboratory without field surveillance cannot protect consumers effectively,” the minister said.
He said reducing the supplementary provision would weaken the link between field inspections, scientific testing and final regulatory action.
On Food Safety Officers, Shylla said 13 officers were appointed on the recommendation of the Meghalaya Public Service Commission on December 9, 2025. Their salaries and admissible allowances were not included in the original budget estimates, leading to the additional demand.
There are 25 sanctioned posts for Food Safety Officers in the state, of which 21 are currently filled.
The minister said four Food Safety Officers are posted in East Khasi Hills, three in West Garo Hills, two each in West Jaintia Hills, East Garo Hills, West Khasi Hills and Ri-Bhoi, and one each in South Garo Hills, East Jaintia Hills, Southwest Khasi Hills, Southwest Garo Hills, North Garo Hills and Eastern West Khasi Hills.
Shylla also explained the government’s position on the 21 contractual technical staff working at the State Food Testing Laboratory at Pasture Hills, Shillong.
The laboratory, established in 1981, is the only state food testing laboratory in Meghalaya. Its existing technical manpower consists of two Research Assistants, 18 Technical Assistants and one Junior Chemist.
The minister said these 21 contractual workers were initially funded by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), but the central funding was later discontinued.
“FSSAI made it clear that they won’t bear the salary, so that’s why this supplementary demand,” Shylla said.
He said the state government has since taken over the funding of the staff to ensure the laboratory continues to function without disruption.
The minister also placed food surveillance figures before the Assembly, saying the department conducted 3,756 inspections during the last three years and tested 3,329 fish samples during the same period. Thirty fish samples tested positive for formalin during 2023–24, while no positive samples were detected in the following two years, he said.
Following the detection of formalin, the storage, distribution and sale of imported fresh fish were prohibited for 15 days as part of the enforcement action. Shylla said the government is also working towards regularising the contractual technical staff attached to the laboratory.
“We need to empower this particular department as it deals with a very important part which is food which we take every day,” he said.“ We are in the process of sending for sanctioning of these posts to make them regular.”
The minister maintained that strengthening both field surveillance and laboratory capacity was necessary for Meghalaya to enforce food safety laws effectively and protect consumers.
