New Delhi, Oct. 8 -- The Centre has directed states to strictly enforce drug testing regulations, specifically for raw materials and finished products, after the deaths of more than a dozen children were linked to toxic cough syrups.

The directive, issued on 7 October by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) , orders all state and Union territory drug controllers to ensure that pharmaceutical manufacturers rigorously test every batch of ingredients to prevent a recurrence of the tragic events that have claimed the lives of children in Madhya Pradesh.

The DCGI's order comes in the wake of the deaths of at least 14 children in Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh, who died of renal failure after allegedly consuming a contaminated cough syrup...