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The Tamil Nadu government has banned the sale of cough syrup 'Coldrif' and ordered its removal from the market following suspicions linking it to the death of 11 children in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.With effect from October 1, the sale of the cough syrup manufactured by the city-based firm, has been prohibited across Tamil Nadu, an official of the Food Safety and Drug Administration Department said.Inspections were conducted at the pharmaceutical company's manufacturing facility in Sunguvarchathram in neighbouring Kancheepuram district during the last two days and samples have been collected, he said.The company, he said, supplies the medicines to Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry.The samples would be sent to the government run laboratories to test for the presence of the chemical 'Diethylene Glycol', he told PTI.Taking cognisance of the infant deaths, the Union Health Ministry on Friday issued an advisory to all States and Union Territories, directing that cough and cold medications should not be prescribed to children under the age of 2 years.The advisory, issued by the Directorate General of Health Services, comes amid reports of child deaths allegedly linked to contaminated cough syrups in Madhya Pradesh and similar reported incidents in Rajasthan.The food safety official said, "The department has been asked to prevent the sale of the syrup and freeze the stocks from October 1."The samples collected from the facility would be also be tested by the Union government.Responding to a query, he said, the syrup has been supplied to Puducherry, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh by the company.According to the Drug department, the company has been ordered to halt production of the syrup at the facility till the reports from the laboratories are out."We expect the report to be released in the coming days," he said.Senior Congress leader Kamal Nath blamed mixing of 'brake oil solvent' in cough syrups for the deaths of children with a suspected kidney ailment in Madhya Pradesh's Chhindwara district since September 7.The toll in the case reached 9 in Madhya Pradesh while media reports said of two infants died in Rajasthan.

Mumbai: India's equity indices eked out gains on Friday after early losses as the optimism around the Reserve Bank of India's dovish policy stance fizzled out and trading turned stock-specific.The NSE Nifty closed at 24,894.25, up 0.2% or 57.95 points, while the BSE Sensex ended 0.3% higher at 81,207.17, a gain of 223.86 points. "Although the market advanced in the last two sessions, it is expected to be a pullback move rather than a reversal," said Bhavik Joshi, Business Head at INVasset PMS. "Stock-specific rallies are becoming common in the current set up as investors chase momentum while the indices remain flat." Both indices gained nearly 1% in this truncated trading week after declining 2.7% last week. Financial markets were shut for trading on Thursday for Mahatma Gandhi Jayanti and Dussehra. 124300966Elsewhere in Asia, South Korea gained 2.7% on Friday, while Japan and Taiwan rose 1.9% and 1.5% respectively. China and Indonesia advanced around 0.5% each. Hong Kong moved 0.5% lower.At home, the Nifty Midcap 150 and Smallcap 250 index moved 0.9% higher on Friday. Out of the 4,339 shares traded on the BSE, 2,636 advanced and 1,568 declined. Over the past week, the midcap and smallcap indices gained around 2% each.The Nifty Metal index rose 1.8% while the PSU Bank and consumer durables indices moved over 1% higher on Friday.Joshi said that metals and PSU Bank indices are close to record highs of October last year and both have been underperformers in the last few months. "Since metals are priced in dollar terms, the fall in the dollar as it loses value is supportive for metal companies," said Joshi. "The government announcement of the merger of banks in the PSU space is a tailwind for that sector.""Any dips towards the support zone of 24,400-24,600 can be used as a buying opportunity and the index might face a hurdle at 25,000 levels in the near term," said Ruchit Jain, Head Technical Research, Motilal Oswal Financial Services.

Gold failed to glitter this Dussehra as sharply higher prices deterred many consumers, eroding sales by a quarter to 18 tonnes from last year, according to industry body India Bullion & Jewellers Association (IBJA).By value, sales of the yellow metal however climbed by 30-35% consequent to the prevailing high prices. The retail price of gold on Dussehra this year, which was celebrated on Thursday, was Rs 1.16 lakh per 10 gm, a 48% jump from Rs 78,000 per 10 gm on Dussehra 2024. Consumers need to pay goods and services tax (GST) of 3% in addition to the bullion price. A making charge of 15-30% is also levied by jewellers depending on the jewellery design.“Last year Dussehra was a better one as the volume of gold sold was 24 tonnes. This year, the prices have remained at `1.16 lakh per 10 gm on Dussehra, which has dented the demand,” said Surendra Mehta, national secretary of IBJA. 124297624Exchange of Old Gold Rampant“However, consumers have started buying gold as they feel that prices might not fall from this level any soon. Consumers are placing orders for the upcoming Dhanteras, Diwali and wedding season,” he said. Many Indians prefer to buy gold on Dussehra as it is believed that the precious metal brings good luck, success, and prosperity for the entire year. On Friday, gold was trading at Rs 1,16,883 per 10 gm at the retail end, excluding GST.Demand for gold and silver coins have picked up well this Dussehra as many are buying them as an investment tool. Jewellers said gold coins of 5 gm denomination are selling more while silver coins of 20 gm are flying off the shelves. “Investment demand for gold and silver bars remains robust, and customers are making purchases despite price movements. Bullion continues to do well, while bangles, necklaces, and diamond jewellery are showing encouraging momentum,’ said Saurabh Gadgil, managing director of Pune-based PNG Jewellers. He said bookings in lightweight jewellery are encouraging, while exchange of old gold is continuing to sustain demand, contributing nearly 50-55% of sales.The trend of exchanging old gold has accelerated across the country as high bullion prices are keeping consumers away from making fresh purchases. “They are keen to buy 5 or 7 gm of gold in addition to their old gold and get jewellery of their own design,” said Mehta, who is based in Mumbai’s Zaveri Bazaar, a major gold trading hub.Vikas Kataria, promoter of Madhya Pradesh-based jeweller D.P. Abhushan, however, noted encouraging demand across central India. “Wedding jewellery from diamonds to lightweight and polki designs is also performing well, setting a very positive tone for the festive season. Despite higher gold prices, sentiment remains strong,” he said.In South India, jewellers reported lower sales of gold during the ongoing festive season. Varghese Alukkas, MD of Jos Alukkas, said many consumers are resorting to buying gold bars to convert them into jewellery later for the upcoming wedding season. Gold exchange has also picked up. “Gold bars of 10 gm to 20 gm are selling more. We are also trying to push diamond jewellery in 18 karat, 14 karat and 9 karat, but customers are leaning more towards gold jewellery. Old gold exchange has gone up to 55-60% this Dussehra,” said Alukkas. Jos Alukkas has 63 stores spread over five states in South India.