Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik Grants State Honour for Last Rites of Organ Donors, Paving the Way for a Noble Tribute
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik declared on Thursday, February 15, that people who donate their organs to save the lives of others would have their final rites performed with state honours. Last year, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin stated that his administration would award full official honours to the funerals of state organ donors.
Odisha’s Organ Donation Tribute
Under the direction of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the Odisha government has been aggressively advancing the admirable goal of encouraging organ donation. Chief Minister Patnaik awarded an annual reward in 2019 to commemorate the memory of Ganjam district’s “Suraj” in a heartfelt gesture. Suraj’s parents gave others the gift of life by selflessly donating six essential organs from their brain-dead son. Their generosity was unmatched.
Chief Minister Patnaik personally visited with Suraj’s parents to convey his sincere thanks for their inspirational contribution to society and to acknowledge this unselfish deed. He announced an impressive Rs 5 lakh reward as a thank you, indicating the state’s recognition of their remarkable and humanitarian deed. This project intends to encourage more people in Odisha to support organ donation and have a long-lasting positive influence on the lives of those in need, in addition to paying heartfelt respect to Suraj.
How the Organs of Suraj Rescued Lives:
Suraj lived in Bhanjanagar, in Odisha’s Ganjam district. On October 29, 2019, while working in Surat, he was seriously injured in a car accident. Despite physicians’ efforts, his health did not improve, and he was declared brain-dead on November 2. Then, in an effort to save other people’s lives, Suraj’s mother Gitanjali Sethi and father Babuli Sethi made the decision to donate his heart, liver, kidneys, and eyes. His eyes were donated to two people in Surat, his kidneys and liver were transplanted into the bodies of three people in Ahmedabad, and his heart was flown to Fortis Hospital in Mumbai and placed in the body of a lady.