Union Health Minister J. P. Nadda addressed participants at the 'Dadhichi Angdaan Sankalp Abhiyan' (Dadhichi Organ Donation Pledge Campaign) organised at Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya, Shantikunj, Haridwar, on 27 June 2026, marking the centenary year of the Akhil Vishwa Gayatri Parivar. The minister praised the campaign as a model of civil-society leadership in advancing organ, body and eye donation across India.

Context

Posting on X, Nadda wrote — 'ऋषि दधीचि जी के नाम पर यह अभियान हम सभी को उनके जीवनदर्शन से प्रेरणा प्राप्त करने का संदेश देता है' — ('This campaign, named after Rishi Dadhichi, gives all of us the message to draw inspiration from his life philosophy.'). The campaign invokes the mythological sage Rishi Dadhichi, who according to Hindu tradition sacrificed his bones for the welfare of others, making him a potent symbol for voluntary organ donation drives in India.

The event was hosted by Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya, the university arm of Shantikunj, Haridwar, as part of the centenary-year celebrations of the Gayatri Parivar. Nadda participated in the programme and addressed those present, offering his 'heartfelt congratulations' (hriday poorvak abhinandan) to the Gayatri Parivar for running the initiative.

Policy backdrop

Nadda credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership for transforming organ donation into a national mass movement. He stated that annual organ transplants in India have risen from approximately 5,000 in 2013 to nearly 20,000 at present — a nearly four-fold increase that he described as proof of growing public acceptance of organ donation as 'the highest service to humanity.'

The policy architecture supporting this growth includes the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO), established in 2014 to coordinate procurement and distribution across states, and amendments to the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act in 2011 that broadened the definition of near relatives and tightened regulatory oversight. Successive governments have treated organ donation as a public-health priority, with post-2014 administrations layering active awareness campaigns on top of the earlier legislative framework.

Stakeholders and impact

The Gayatri Parivar's campaign specifically targets the removal of religious misconceptions that have historically suppressed donor registration rates in India. Nadda noted that the organisation promotes the ideal of 'maranoprant bhi paropkar' — 'benevolence even after death' — through wide-ranging awareness drives covering organ donation, body donation and eye donation.

The direct beneficiaries are the tens of thousands of patients on transplant waiting lists across the country. A four-fold rise in annual transplants translates to thousands of additional lives saved each year, though demand continues to outpace supply. Civil-society organisations such as the Gayatri Parivar, with its large volunteer network rooted in spiritual values, are increasingly seen by the government as force-multipliers for public-health messaging that state machinery alone cannot achieve.

What's next

The National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation is expected to release updated annual transplant data that will provide a fuller picture of progress. Policymakers are also watching state-level organ donation policies that may be tabled in the next parliamentary session. With the Gayatri Parivar's centenary year providing a sustained platform through 2026, the 'Dadhichi Angdaan Sankalp Abhiyan' is likely to expand its outreach to new districts and demographics, potentially driving donor-registration numbers higher in the months ahead.