Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik Friday appealed to the people of Odisha to come forward for organ donation and save lives.
Let's save humanity even in death, Patnaik said while naming the late Bipin Pradhan for the Suraj Award'.
His wife Renu Pradhan received the cash award of Rs 5 lakh.
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Bipin Pradhan's family members had decided to donate six of his vital organs before his death at a Surat hospital.
The state government has instituted the award, in memory of Suraj Behera, whose family members had donated his organs before his accidental death to save lives.
Patnaik said that the celebration of World Organ Donation Day strives to encourage and inspire people to donate their precious organs after death to save many lives.
Thanking family members of Bipin Pradhan for supporting and promoting these human values, Patnaik said that they have displayed exemplary compassion and humanity by donating his vital organs.
This sacrifice is an act of human empathy and nobility , he added.
The chief minister said that the humanitarian act of the parents of Suraj Behera, who voluntarily donated the organs of their deceased son, to save the lives of many other persons, will remain an exemplar for society and boost the movement of organ donation in Odisha and the country as well.
Joining the programme online from Jharsuguda, state Health Minister N K Das thanked the wife of the late Bipin Pradhan for this humanitarian gesture.