New Delhi: Delhi govt will launch its State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (SOTTO) during ‘Seva Sankalp Abhiyan’, a month-long campaign beginning on PM Modi’s birthday on Sept 17, CM Rekha Gupta said Monday.SOTTO is a state-level apex body established under India’s National Organ Transplant Program to manage, coordinate and regulate organ and tissue donation and their transplantation. It will manage Delhi’s waiting lists and ensure fair distribution of retrieved organs and tissues to patients in need, officials said.It will also authorise and register hospitals for organ retrieval and transplant procedures under Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act.The official platform has been developed on the lines of the system operated by Centre and will promote awareness and encourage more Delhiites to donate organs, the CM said.The month-long campaign will be organised across Delhi till Oct 17, with various public service programmes planned by different departments. Development projects worth Rs 13,820 crore will be inaugurated and foundation stones laid, she said.Delhi labour department will organise special programmes for labourers and construction workers, including their registration and health check-up. Gupta said registration will help connect them with govt facilities and welfare schemes and ensure essential services reach them.Women and child development department will organise welfare activities for kids at childcare centres, with a focus on their development, care and welfare.Projects related to cleaning Yamuna, worth around Rs 8,000 crore, will be inaugurated and foundation stones laid, Gupta said. Large-scale cleanliness drives will also be held along the river.Delhi BJP chief Harsh Malhotra said, “A major student programme, ‘Mere Sapnon Ka Bharat’, will involve around five lakh students from 5,000 schools, including those under Delhi govt, private, New Delhi Municipal Council and municipal bodies. Universities will also be included. Painting, speeches and other competitions will be organised to give students an opportunity to present their vision of a developed India.”On the evening of Sept 17, an ‘aashirwad ka diya’ programme will be held, under which beneficiaries across Delhi will light lamps at their homes and extend birthday greetings to the PM.Malhotra said BJP will organise mega blood donation camps in 14 organisational districts on Sept 17, with a target of collecting 2,500 units. The party also plans cleanliness drives at 2,500 locations between Sept 17 and Oct 17, along with activities involving anganwadi workers, service-themed programmes and events across the city.
