Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Thursday launched the month-long ‘Seva Sankalp Abhiyan’, calling on young people to dedicate time to social service and nation-building.
The campaign began with a mega blood donation camp at the IDCO Exhibition Ground in Unit-III, Bhubaneswar. The Chief Minister also planted an Ashoka sapling at Lok Seva Bhavan before attending the blood donation programme.
Addressing the gathering, Majhi said blood donation was an important humanitarian act and stressed that there was no substitute for human blood despite advances in medical science.
The mega camp has set a target of collecting more than 6,500 units of blood. The Chief Minister said the state government was committed to ensuring that no life was lost because of a shortage of blood.
As part of efforts to strengthen the state’s blood supply infrastructure, the government has launched the Atal Raktadan Abhiyan with an allocation of ₹50.54 crore in the 2026-27 Budget. Under the initiative, blood banks are being established at new medical colleges while existing facilities are being modernised, according to the government.
The Seva Sankalp Abhiyan coincides with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 76th birthday on September 17 and is intended to mark his 25 years in public service with programmes planned across Odisha. The campaign was announced by the Odisha BJP earlier this month as a month-long public service and outreach initiative, with activities extending from organisational districts to mandals and booth levels. Activities planned under the campaign include blood donation drives, awareness programmes, competitions, community outreach and other service initiatives.
Majhi extended birthday greetings to Modi on behalf of the people of Odisha and described the Prime Minister as the “architect of a developed India”. He also highlighted what he described as India’s progress in areas including defence, semiconductors and space technology.
Calling on Odisha’s youth to participate in social service, the Chief Minister said dedicating time to community welfare and nation-building would be a meaningful way of contributing to society.
Urban Development and Housing Minister Krushna Chandra Mahapatra said blood donation was essential for saving lives and expressed confidence that the mega camp would set a new record for blood collection in the state.
Rajya Sabha MP Manmohan Samal said the large-scale blood donation drive would help address shortages in blood banks, particularly those that emerged during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rajya Sabha MP Sujit Kumar, Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari, Ekamra MLA Babu Singh, Khordha MLA Prashant Kumar Jagdev, Bhatli MLA Irashis Acharya, Mahakalapada MLA Durga Prasanna Nayak and other public representatives, party leaders, blood donors, youth volunteers and media representatives attended the programme.
