Tamil Nadu was adjudged the best state in Organ Donation for the third time in a row, with 5,933 organs retrieved from 1,056 donors, a Health Ministry statement said on Monday.

It has also become the first state for various initiatives like mandatory certification of brain stem deaths, streamlining organ distribution and setting up green corridors."Tamil Nadu is also supplying free immunosuppressant drugs and is providing sanctions of upto Rs 35 lakh under the Chief Minister Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme for facilitating organ transplants in the private," said the statement quoting state Health Minister C. Vijaya Baskar.

Baskar was speaking at the eighth Organ Donation Day observed here on Monday which was also attended by Union Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel and other dignitaries.Calling for more organ donors in India, Patel said: "Apart from promoting organ donation, it is important to improve infrastructure and capacity of government hospitals for undertaking transplantation so that even those who cannot afford transplantation may also benefit."

"It is important to understand that in India it is mainly the living donors who are donating organs and only about 23 per cent of the organ transplant is being done with organs obtained from the cadavers."There is a need to promote cadaver, or deceased, organ donation rather than relying on living donors in order to avoid the risk of commercial trading of organs and also to avoid the inherent risk to the health of the living donor," Patel added.Jawaharlal Institute Of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research, Puducherry was announced the best budding performer in Organ Donation and Transplantation on the occasion.