MP Mulls Offering VIP ‘Darshan’ In Important Temples To Devotees For Voluntary Blood Donation, Pilot Project In Omkareshwar Shrine Successful

The move comes in the wake of a pilot project undertaken in the Omkareshwar shrine, where one of the 12 Jyotirlingas is worshipped, in Khandwa district in the state has proved successful, a senior officer in the National Health Mission (NHM) here on Sunday said.

Under the pilot project, a devotee who donates blood in the district hospital at Khandwa gets the privilege of a VIP Darshan at the Omkareshwar temple by skipping the long queue.

The pilot project was implemented on February 24.

The pilot project has led to a rise in blood donations in the district hospital in Khandwa from 15-20 units to 200 units per day, the officer said.

“The initiative in Khandwa district is emerging as an effective model of promoting voluntary blood donation. We are contemplating to implement it in other districts considering the positive result the model has yielded”, Saloni Sidana, Managing Director (MD), NHM here said.

In order to promote voluntary blood donation, the state health department is planning to set up blood banks near the famous temples in the state such as Mahakaleshwar shrine, where one of the 12 Jyotirlingas is worshipped, to woo the devotees to go for voluntary blood donation for VIP Darshan, a senior health department officer said.

This apart, the state government is also considering establishing branches of blood banks at public service facilities such as banks, and important government institutions, sources said.

According to official data, 8,36,638 units of blood have been collected in all the blood banks in Madhya Pradesh in 2025-26.

Of these, 4,73,370 units, constituting 57 percent, are collected through voluntary blood donations.

Of the total collected blood units, 1,63,972 were given to the pregnant women, and 47,461 units were given to the thalassemia patients during the period.

Similarly, 17,418 units were given to sickle cell patients during the period.

Such a provision has already been in force in the Tirupati Balaji Temple in Andhra Pradesh.

Devotees who donate blood at the TTD (Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams)- run Ashwini Hospital in Tirumala can receive a free Rs 300 Special Entry Darshan (VIP) ticket, typically offering Darshan within one-two hours.