Proposal to set up more forensic labs

New Delhi, Aug.18 (ANI): The Government on Wednesday said it has a proposal under consideration to establish more forensic labs in different parts of the country.

It is believed that such a step will improve Forensic Science services support at Central as well as at Regional and District level of the States/UTs to make the investigative mechanism faster and cost effective.

There are four Central Forensic Science Laboratories located at Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Kolkata and New Delhi.

Minister of State for Home Affairs Mullappally Ramachandran in written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha today said: "Under the Central Sector Scheme of 'Modernisation of Forensic Science Applications for Directorate of Forensic Science and its outlying units' Ministry of Home Affairs (with an outlay Rs. 200 crores under the XI Five Year Plan) there 26 Schemes which inter-alia contain the Scheme of establishment of New-Hi Tech Central Forensic Science Laboratories and Government Examiner of Questioned Documents (GEsQD) at Pune, Bhopal and Guwahati having an outlay of Rs. 42.60 crores to cater to the requirements of Law Enforcement Agencies."

He further informed that there is another composite Centrally Sponsored Plan Scheme of 'Creation of Regional Forensic Science Laboratories and District Mobile Forensic Laboratories for States/ Union Territories (UTs) with an outlay of Rs. 100 crore.

He said that it has been decided to set up 6 Regional Forensic Science Laboratories (RFSLs), i.e. one in each State/ Union Territories (UTs) viz Arunachal Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Goa, Sikkim, Uttrakhand, and Pudducherry and 52 District Mobile Forensic Units (DMFUs) in States/ UTs viz Arunachal Pradesh (1), Bihar (4), Chattisgarh (2), Goa (2), Haryana (2), Himachal Pradesh (2), Jammu and Kashmir (2), Jharkhand (5), Manipur (2), Meghalaya (2), Mizoram (4), Punjab (4), Rajasthan (4), Sikkim (2), Tripura (2), Uttrakhand (2), West Bengal (2), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (2), Dadra and Nagar Haveli (1), Daman and Diu (2), Lakshadweep (2), Puducherry (1).

Besides above, three scientific aid units of Central Forensic Science Laboratory, CBI, New Delhi are being established in the metropolitan cities, viz. Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata under 11th Five Year Plan.

All these aspects would improve Forensic Science services support at Central as well as at Regional and District level of the States/UTs and make the investigative mechanism faster and cost effective, the Minister stated in his reply. (ANI)