Dehradun, Oct. 13 -- Uttarakhand Food Safety and Drug Administration (FDA) has intensified its statewide crackdown on the sale of unsafe cough syrups following reports from Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh linking certain brands to the deaths of children. Officials said that over 350 samples of cough syrups have been collected from medical stores, distributors, and hospitals across all 13 districts, while the licenses of over a dozen chemists have been cancelled for violating safety norms. The large-scale inspection drive comes under strict directives from Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and health minister Dhan Singh Rawat, who have asked officials to ensure that no unsafe or substandard medicines reach children. "Our goal is to ensure that no syrup posing a threat to children's health is sold anywhere in the state," Chief Minister Dhami said, calling it part of the government's zero-tolerance policy toward medical negligence. FDA Commissioner and health secretary Dr R. Rajesh Kumar said surprise inspections are being carried out daily at pharmacies, wholesale depots, paediatric hospitals, and pharmaceutical industries. "Any negligence will invite strict action, including license cancellation," he warned, adding that teams are sending daily progress reports from each district. Additional Commissioner (FDA) Tajbar Singh Jaggi, who is supervising the campaign, said the drive will continue in phases until all unsafe medicines are removed from circulation. "The focus is on ensuring the availability of only safe and quality medicines, especially those meant for children," he said. He said in Dehradun, a team led by Drug Inspector Manendra Singh Rana conducted surprise checks at medical stores in Paltan Bazaar, Ghantaghar, Rishikesh Road, Jolly Grant, Ajabpur, and Nehru Colony. Several children's cough and cold syrups found stored separately were sealed on the spot, and their sale has been suspended. One medical store was shut down and samples of 11 medicines were sent for laboratory testing. In Rishikesh, drug inspector Nidhi Raturi's team inspected medical stores near the Government SPS Hospital, Dehradun Road, and Jolly Grant. Six samples were collected, and vendors were instructed not to store or sell children's cough syrups until further orders, he said. In Haldwani, seven medical stores in the Mukhani area were inspected, with two cough syrup samples taken for testing. Similar checks were conducted in Almora and Bageshwar, where additional samples were collected, he added. Meanwhile health minister Dhan Singh Rawat has urged doctors to be "extra vigilant" while prescribing medicines for children. He emphasised that banned syrups must not be prescribed for children below two years of age "under any circumstances." The state government has also appealed to all paediatricians and pharmacists to strictly follow the guidelines and cooperate with the ongoing inspections. Officials said the campaign is part of Uttarakhand's Safe Health Mission, aimed at ensuring access to only safe and quality-assured medicines. The drive will continue until all potentially harmful cough syrups are eliminated from the market, the FDA said....