New Delhi | India recorded its highest-ever annual organ transplant count in 2025, with 20,138 procedures performed, while Aadhaar-verified organ donation pledges have crossed five lakh since the launch of the national digital pledge portal in 2023, Union Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel said on Monday.
Addressing the 16th Indian Organ Donation Day programme organised by the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO), Patel said India now ranks third globally in the total number of organ transplants after the United States and China, while retaining its leadership in living donor organ transplants.
She said the number of organ transplants has increased from 4,990 in 2013 to over 20,000 in 2025, while deceased donor transplants have risen more than fourfold from 837 in 2013 to 3,526 in 2025.
Patel attributed the rise in organ donation pledges to sustained awareness campaigns and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appeal encouraging citizens to pledge their organs.
"The country has crossed five lakh Aadhaar-verified organ donation pledges since the launch of the national digital pledge portal in 2023," she said, while noting that a significant gap continues to exist between the demand for organs and their availability.
The minister launched the year-long 'Jug Jug Jiyo Abhiyaan', the e-Pratyaropan digital platform and the NOTTO mobile application to strengthen the country's organ donation and transplantation ecosystem.
She also released the National Brain Stem Death Certification Guidelines and the National Guidelines on Swap Transplantation, saying these would help standardise practices and strengthen implementation across states.
Patel said misconceptions surrounding organ donation remain a major challenge and stressed that no major religion prohibits organ donation, describing it as a humanitarian act that gives a second chance at life.
She further stated that the government has established a robust institutional network comprising NOTTO, five Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organizations (ROTTOs), 26 State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organizations (SOTTOs) and around 1,200 registered hospitals.
To strengthen coordination among these stakeholders, the government has launched a unified digital platform that will create a seamless, transparent and efficient organ donation and transplantation ecosystem while enhancing trust among citizens.
Highlighting the government's continued support under the National Organ Transplant Programme (NOTP), she said that financial assistance is being provided to states for strengthening infrastructure, donor maintenance, organ retrieval and transportation.
She further said that under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), kidney transplantation has been included in the Health Benefit Package, while financial assistance for economically weaker patients is also available under the Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi. She added that the expanding network of over 20,000 Jan Aushadhi Kendras is improving access to affordable medicines, including post-transplant medications.
Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava said the NOTTO-ROTTO-SOTTO network now spans 31 states and Union Territories, improving coordination for organ procurement and allocation.
She said, besides AIIMS New Delhi, 10 new AIIMS now provide kidney transplant services, while AIIMS Jodhpur, Bhubaneswar, Patna and Rishikesh have started liver transplants and AIIMS Bhopal has commenced heart transplantation.
