Home Minister V.S. Acharya has described donation of blood as the greatest of all donations as it helped in saving people's lives.
He was speaking after inaugurating the Voluntary Blood Donors' Day and a blood donation camp here on Saturday, which was organised by the Karnataka State AIDS Prevention Society, Department of Health and Family Welfare, State Government Employees Association and Udupi City Municipal Council (CMC).
Dr. Acharya said thatmore awareness should be created on the importance of blood donation in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada district. “People should realise that blood donation is an important public service,” he said.
The Government had sanctioned Rs. 253 crore additional grants to the Home Department. The Government had been giving impetus to development without imposing new taxes on the people, Dr. Acharya said.
Felicitated
Persons who had donated blood several times were felicitated on the occasion. They are: Narasimha (40 times), Jaya Salian (27), Vinod Nayak (25), Harish Shenoy (24), Fayaz (23), K. Uday Rao (20), Roopa Ballal (20) and Veronica Carnelio (12).
Chairman of Zilla Panchayat standing committee on education and health B.K. Hegde presided over the function. District Health and Family Welfare Officer Ramachandra Bairy and CMC Commissioner Gokuldas Nayak were among those present.