The function, which ABVP had organised in the memory of late Sunil Upadhyaya, the organisation's leading activist, received an overwhelming response. Governor V S Rama Devi, who was the Chief guest on the occasion, later conferred special honours on 35 voluntary blood donors who had donated blood more than 25 times.

V D Kuthiala, a college principal at Chamba who donated blood 110 times, Madhu Sudan, a school teacher at Charabra (Shimla), who donated blood for the 50th time and O. P. Sood, local Congress leader hitting the 75th mark were among the donors honoured by the governor.

Health Minister Jagat Parkash Nadda, Minister of State for Horticulture Narinder Bragta, Primary Education Minister Karan Singh and Minister of State for Urban Local Bodies Roop Dass Kashyap, besides several other government functionaries also attended the function.

Overwhelmed by the response, Nadda announced that he was actively considering a proposal to introduce a new technology by which the person requiring blood at the time of his operation, can donate the blood for his own use. There had also been some other proposals to rationalise the use of blood and also meet its current shortage, he said. The health minister also announced that the World Health Organisation had agreed to introduce some new programmes like the Essential Drug Policy in Himachal Pradesh.

Speaking on the occasion, the governor advised students' organisations to devote their time on constructive activities rather indulging in politics. Others honoured at the function include Puneet Sood, donating blood for the 67th time, Mohan Dass donating for the 62nd time, Deepak Sharma, 59 times, Rohitas Kuthiala and Kapil Mahajan 54 times each, Arun Sood 52 times, Harminder Singh, 50 times, Harinder Gupta, 47 times, Manohar Dutt, 45 times, Som Kiriti, 40 times, Manoj Kumar and Anant Ram, 38 times each.