After cough syrup tragedy, MP hospital under lens over 'worms' in medicine
Gwalior (PTI): Amid child deaths linked to a toxic cough syrup in Madhya Pradesh, a government hospital here is now facing a complaint over worms allegedly found in a bottle of antibiotic medicine given to a child, officials said on Thursday.
Following a complaint by a woman whose child was given the medicine, the entire stock of Azithromycin antibiotic at the government hospital in Morar town of Gwalior district has been sealed and samples have been sent to a laboratory in Bhopal for testing, they said.
Azithromycin antibiotic's oral suspension is commonly given to children for various infections.
According to officials, the medicine was generic and manufactured by a Madhya Pradesh-based company.
Drug inspector Anubhuti Sharma said, "A woman at the government hospital in Morar complained of worms in a bottle of Azithromycin oral suspension."
Although the bottle of medicine that the woman had brought was open, the matter was immediately investigated, she said.
All 306 bottles of this medicine, which had been distributed and stored at the hospital in Morar, have been recalled and seized, the official said.
A preliminary inspection of some of the medicine bottles revealed no signs of insects, but testing is necessary, she said.
Some of the bottles have been sent to a laboratory in Bhopal for testing. A sample of this medicine will also be sent to the Central Drug Laboratory in Kolkata, Sharma said.
Notably, 24 children from Chhindwara district in MP have died due to suspected renal failure caused by the consumption of the adulterated Coldrif cough syrup.
The tragedy prompted the World Health Organisation (WHO) to issue an alert against three "substandard" oral cough syrups identified in India -- Coldrif, Respifresh TR and ReLife.
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India achieves major milestone in wind energy; capacity now 56 gigawatts: PM Modi
New Delhi (PTI): India has achieved a major milestone in wind energy, with the country's wind energy generation capacity exceeding 56 gigawatts, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday.
In his monthly radio address 'Mann Ki Baat', Modi also said the country must save electricity and adopt clean energy.
“India recently achieved a major milestone in wind energy. India's wind energy generation capacity has now exceeded 56 gigawatts. In just the past year, nearly 6 gigawatts of new capacity have been added,” he said.
Underlining that solar and wind energy are essential for India's development, Modi said, “It is not just about the environment; it is about securing our future, and we all have a role to play in it.”
On April 22, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy, Pralhad Joshi, said that India has recorded its best-ever year in wind energy capacity addition, with a historic 6.1 GW added during 2025-26.
India currently ranks fourth globally in wind energy, with more than 56.1 GW installed capacity and an additional 28 GW under implementation.
Emphasising the vast untapped potential of the sector, Joshi highlighted that India's wind energy potential at 150 metres hub height is estimated at nearly 1,164 GW.
He expressed confidence that with sustained efforts, the country will achieve 100 GW wind capacity by 2030 and 156 GW by 2036, contributing significantly to the net-zero target by 2070.
Joshi also underlined that wind energy plays a critical role in stabilising India's energy system, particularly due to its peak generation during evening and night hours, which aligns with high demand periods.
He noted that nearly 45 per cent of wind power generation occurs during peak demand hours, making it a vital complement to solar energy.
