While Dr Shah was honoured with the award for the highest number of blood donations over a period of 45 years, V-One society was awarded for relentlessly working towards the cause of disabled people in the city and neighbouring areas for the past 36 years. The award ceremony was held in Bhopal recently.

Shah, a medical practitioner who also served as the dean of Sir Sayajirao General Hospital (SSGH), has been donating blood since 1962 when the Indo-China war took place.

“While studying medicine at Vadodara Medical College in 1976, I started donating blood regularly,” he said.

On several occasions, he did not care about the three-month gap, which has to be maintained for rejuvenation of the blood cells, and continued donating blood. “There have been many instances when I donated (blood) five times in a year,” he said.

The 63-year-old doctor has also organised several blood donations camps with students in tribal areas across the country, urging youngsters to donate their blood.

Besides blood donation, Dr Shah is also known for his contribution during the outbreak of plague in Surat in 1994, when he along with a team of doctors identified a new strain of plague.

“Initially, the authorities paid no attention to the news of this new strain we found. However, after international agencies like the World Health Organisation carried out the tests, our claims were found to be true,” he said. His findings were later used to develop better vaccines against this new strain.

On the other hand, V-One society founded by leading industrialist Jal Patel has been a ray of hope for many differently-abled people in the region.

“Every year, we provide various aids and amenities to at least 500 to 1,000 physically disabled people,” said Patel, who dedicated the honour to the members of his society.

The society, which has around 75 members, help the differently-abled not just by providing them with different aids, but also train them to stand up for themselves and get jobs.

V-One also has a group of registered doctors who regularly conduct check-ups of disabled people. “We also run a computer centre, a crafts workshop and a placement cell in addition to the care centre spread over different parts of the city,” he said.

Having started with a small care centre in the Fatehgunj locality 36 years ago, V-One is now a well-known organisation in the field of rehabilitating differently-abled. The society is funded by the board members and donations, besides getting a fund from the state government.