"Blood donation is a noble trait and as blood donation unites people there is absolutely no room for religious differences between donor and the recipient of blood. Blood is a life saver," Bedi said.
She was speaking on the occasion of celebration of 'world blood donor day', organised jointly by Pondicherry AIDS Control Society and Pondicherry Council for Blood Transfusion.
Bedi said this was her first public function after assuming office of the Lt Governor on May 29. She said there was a personal reason also for her participation in this 'important function'.
Doctors at the hospital where her father was admitted had pointed out that her father needed blood in the next 24 hours.
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"We were at our wits end and did not know what to do," she said adding that fortunately one Rahman, a close friend of her father, had come forward and donated blood.
"Rahman's blood matched with my father's and this had saved my father," she said.
"The noble gesture of Rahman saved my father," she said, thanking him for his timely gesture then.
Bedi also assured the health authorities that she would volunteer to donate blood to the Blood Bank and requested the medical team to turn up at Raj Nivas to collect her blood.
The Lt Governor felicitated Health Minister Malladi Krishna Rao and presented memento and a certificateto him in recognition of his donation of blood 41 times so far.
Director of Health and Family Welfare Services Dr K V Raman said the Health department had 15 blood banks and last year as much as 41,000 units of blood were voluntarily donated by various donors.
Earlier, Bedi flagged-off a motor cycle rally held to generate awareness about blood donation among the people. She also felicitated voluntary donors inside the blood donation vehicle stationed at the venue.