August 25, 2026

Faster access to some newer medical devices. (Representative image) NEW DELHI: Patients in India could get faster access to some newer medical devices already approved in the European Union, with the government expanding its list of trusted foreign regulatory jurisdictions while also easing licensing requirements for manufacturers outsourcing sterilisation.The Health Ministry has amended the Medical Devices Rules, 2017 to include the European Union among jurisdictions recognised for waiver of clinical investigation requirements for eligible medical devices that do not have a predicate device in India. The list earlier included the US, UK, Australia, Canada and Japan.The change means eligible devices that have already received regulatory approval in the EU can potentially avoid a fresh clinical investigation in India, reducing the time and regulatory steps required before they can be made available to patients. The waiver remains subject to the conditions prescribed under the rules.The government said the move would reduce regulatory timelines for manufacturers and importers and facilitate faster availability of advanced medical technologies in India. The addition of the EU also brings India’s medical-device regulatory framework closer to international regulatory practices.Separately, manufacturers outsourcing sterilisation to a facility with a valid licence will no longer need a separate loan licence, reducing paperwork, compliance costs and delays. However, they will still have to print the sterilisation facility’s licence number on the device label, with six months to comply. The labelling requirement had drawn industry concerns over added compliance burden and possible export delays.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesThe government has also introduced a standard fee schedule for testing and evaluation of medical devices. The new charges include Rs 5,000 for implantation tests, Rs 2,000 for sterility testing, Rs 1,000 for syringes and needles and Rs 3,000 for surgical sutures. Testing fees for condoms and intrauterine devices have been fixed at Rs 2,500 each.For tests not specified in the schedule, the charges will be decided by the concerned laboratory or medical device testing officer. The prescribed fees will automatically rise by 5% annually.The three changes are aimed at cutting regulatory duplication, making compliance costs more predictable and speeding up access to medical devices while retaining requirements for quality, safety and traceability. The sterilisation and testing-fee amendments were notified as the Medical Devices (Second Amendment) Rules, 2026.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorAnuja JaiswalAnuja Jaiswal is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Times of India, with an impressive 18-year career in narrative journalism. She specializes in health and heritage reporting, expertly simplifying complex health information to make it engaging and understandable for readers. Her deep dives into heritage topics are well-researched, resulting in captivating narratives that resonate with her audience. Over the years, she has worked in Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh and West UP, gaining diverse on-ground experience that shapes her storytelling.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosBihar BPSC Protest Explodes In Patna As Students Break Barricades, Police Use Water Cannons | WatchIndia Opens DRDO Missile Technologies To Defence Firms In Major Push For Indigenous ProductionXi-Modi Meeting In Delhi? China Prepares Massive Delegation As India-China Ties Show Fresh ThawExplained: Why Are Sugar Prices Rising In India Despite Record Sugarcane Production?Supreme Court Notice To 20 Rebel TMC MPs On Abhishek Banerjee’s Disqualification Plea’People Were Shot In The Head’: Sonam Wangchuk Seeks Inquiry Report Into 2025 Ladakh ViolenceAjeet Bharti EXCLUSIVE On ‘Reservation Hatao Andolan’, Harsh Dubey, CJP & His Criticism Of BJPTMC’s Abhishek Banerjee Moves Supreme Court Over Delay In Disqualification Of 20 Rebel TMC MPsTrump Pushes $103,265 H-1B Fee; 71% Indian Professionals Brace For Major Immigration BlowJaishankar Meets Putin In Moscow, India-Russia Trade Soars As Both Sides Target $100 Billion By 2030123Photostories5 iconic places in Maharashtra where Ganesh Chaturthi is more than a festivalChinese singer Liu Yu’s Manish Malhotra couture moment in Paris is proof that Indian craftsmanship needs no introduction10 baby girl names that sound modern but have ancient roots5 traditional Bengali sarees you probably haven’t heard ofFrom castor to coconut oil: Natural oils for faster beard growthTraitors 2: From Shalini Passi’s over Rs 2,000 crore family wealth to Mallika Sherawat’s Rs 170 crore fortune, here’s a look at the net worth of popular contestantsYour blood pressure could be rising because of these 7 everyday habits you may think are completely harmless7 simple ways to live every day like a holiday like Dua Lipa, despite working full-timeUrvashi Rautela makes a tricolour statement in a one-of-a-kind gown that took 3 months to createOptical illusion personality test: The object you spot first reveals the trait you’re probably in denial about123Hot PicksBPSC exam rowSugar priceNew Zealand social media banTrump tariffICSI CS june resultNEET UG 2026Sridhar VembuTrump’s SpaceXNEET PG 2026 admit cardTop TrendingBandra Parsi BungalowSuresh GowdaRupali ChakankarKarnataka Food Licence SuspensionAllahabad High CourtMumbai Airport DemolitionRam RahimDelhi Women AccidentDelhi Gurgaon RainMaharashtra Hill Tragedy

Vamsikrishna02 mins mins
Faster access to some newer medical devices. (Representative image) NEW DELHI: Patients in India could get faster access to some newer medical devices already approved in the European Union, with the government expanding its list of trusted foreign regulatory jurisdictions while also easing licensing requirements for manufacturers outsourcing sterilisation.The Health Ministry has amended the Medical Devices Rules, 2017 to include the European Union among jurisdictions recognised for waiver of clinical investigation requirements for eligible medical devices that do not have a predicate device in India. The list earlier included the US, UK, Australia, Canada and Japan.The change means eligible devices that have already received regulatory approval in the EU can potentially avoid a fresh clinical investigation in India, reducing the time and regulatory steps required before they can be made available to patients. The waiver remains subject to the conditions prescribed under the rules.The government said the move would reduce regulatory timelines for manufacturers and importers and facilitate faster availability of advanced medical technologies in India. The addition of the EU also brings India’s medical-device regulatory framework closer to international regulatory practices.Separately, manufacturers outsourcing sterilisation to a facility with a valid licence will no longer need a separate loan licence, reducing paperwork, compliance costs and delays. However, they will still have to print the sterilisation facility’s licence number on the device label, with six months to comply. The labelling requirement had drawn industry concerns over added compliance burden and possible export delays.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesThe government has also introduced a standard fee schedule for testing and evaluation of medical devices. The new charges include Rs 5,000 for implantation tests, Rs 2,000 for sterility testing, Rs 1,000 for syringes and needles and Rs 3,000 for surgical sutures. Testing fees for condoms and intrauterine devices have been fixed at Rs 2,500 each.For tests not specified in the schedule, the charges will be decided by the concerned laboratory or medical device testing officer. The prescribed fees will automatically rise by 5% annually.The three changes are aimed at cutting regulatory duplication, making compliance costs more predictable and speeding up access to medical devices while retaining requirements for quality, safety and traceability. The sterilisation and testing-fee amendments were notified as the Medical Devices (Second Amendment) Rules, 2026.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorAnuja JaiswalAnuja Jaiswal is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Times of India, with an impressive 18-year career in narrative journalism. She specializes in health and heritage reporting, expertly simplifying complex health information to make it engaging and understandable for readers. Her deep dives into heritage topics are well-researched, resulting in captivating narratives that resonate with her audience. Over the years, she has worked in Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh and West UP, gaining diverse on-ground experience that shapes her storytelling.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosBihar BPSC Protest Explodes In Patna As Students Break Barricades, Police Use Water Cannons | WatchIndia Opens DRDO Missile Technologies To Defence Firms In Major Push For Indigenous ProductionXi-Modi Meeting In Delhi? China Prepares Massive Delegation As India-China Ties Show Fresh ThawExplained: Why Are Sugar Prices Rising In India Despite Record Sugarcane Production?Supreme Court Notice To 20 Rebel TMC MPs On Abhishek Banerjee’s Disqualification Plea’People Were Shot In The Head’: Sonam Wangchuk Seeks Inquiry Report Into 2025 Ladakh ViolenceAjeet Bharti EXCLUSIVE On ‘Reservation Hatao Andolan’, Harsh Dubey, CJP & His Criticism Of BJPTMC’s Abhishek Banerjee Moves Supreme Court Over Delay In Disqualification Of 20 Rebel TMC MPsTrump Pushes 3,265 H-1B Fee; 71% Indian Professionals Brace For Major Immigration BlowJaishankar Meets Putin In Moscow, India-Russia Trade Soars As Both Sides Target 0 Billion By 2030123Photostories5 iconic places in Maharashtra where Ganesh Chaturthi is more than a festivalChinese singer Liu Yu’s Manish Malhotra couture moment in Paris is proof that Indian craftsmanship needs no introduction10 baby girl names that sound modern but have ancient roots5 traditional Bengali sarees you probably haven’t heard ofFrom castor to coconut oil: Natural oils for faster beard growthTraitors 2: From Shalini Passi’s over Rs 2,000 crore family wealth to Mallika Sherawat’s Rs 170 crore fortune, here’s a look at the net worth of popular contestantsYour blood pressure could be rising because of these 7 everyday habits you may think are completely harmless7 simple ways to live every day like a holiday like Dua Lipa, despite working full-timeUrvashi Rautela makes a tricolour statement in a one-of-a-kind gown that took 3 months to createOptical illusion personality test: The object you spot first reveals the trait you’re probably in denial about123Hot PicksBPSC exam rowSugar priceNew Zealand social media banTrump tariffICSI CS june resultNEET UG 2026Sridhar VembuTrump’s SpaceXNEET PG 2026 admit cardTop TrendingBandra Parsi BungalowSuresh GowdaRupali ChakankarKarnataka Food Licence SuspensionAllahabad High CourtMumbai Airport DemolitionRam RahimDelhi Women AccidentDelhi Gurgaon RainMaharashtra Hill Tragedy


EU approvals, easier sterilisation rules to speed device access
Faster access to some newer medical devices. (Representative image)

NEW DELHI: Patients in India could get faster access to some newer medical devices already approved in the European Union, with the government expanding its list of trusted foreign regulatory jurisdictions while also easing licensing requirements for manufacturers outsourcing sterilisation.The Health Ministry has amended the Medical Devices Rules, 2017 to include the European Union among jurisdictions recognised for waiver of clinical investigation requirements for eligible medical devices that do not have a predicate device in India. The list earlier included the US, UK, Australia, Canada and Japan.The change means eligible devices that have already received regulatory approval in the EU can potentially avoid a fresh clinical investigation in India, reducing the time and regulatory steps required before they can be made available to patients. The waiver remains subject to the conditions prescribed under the rules.The government said the move would reduce regulatory timelines for manufacturers and importers and facilitate faster availability of advanced medical technologies in India. The addition of the EU also brings India’s medical-device regulatory framework closer to international regulatory practices.Separately, manufacturers outsourcing sterilisation to a facility with a valid licence will no longer need a separate loan licence, reducing paperwork, compliance costs and delays. However, they will still have to print the sterilisation facility’s licence number on the device label, with six months to comply. The labelling requirement had drawn industry concerns over added compliance burden and possible export delays.

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Rahul, Kharge write to PM Modi over caste census NEW DELHI: Terming the methodology for caste count adopted in Census 2027 “misleading” as it will not give a headcount of OBCs, leaders of opposition in Parliament Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi have written to PM Narendra Modi demanding the Census questionnaire on caste notified recently be abandoned and a new one be drafted. They underlined that the word “OBC” has not even been used in Census.In the backdrop of the controversy triggered by the questionnaire, Kharge and Rahul told PM “your govt” has adopted an “open-ended question” to collect information about caste and that enumerators will have to take for answer whatever a person replies to the caste question.They argued that a caste is known by different names and sub-castes depending on the region, which would result in one caste being recorded by thousands of names. “This would result in lakhs of castes being registered in the country and the entire data recorded in the caste census would become useless,” the letter said.“We don’t approve of the caste census being done through this methodology. Govt should cancel the present questionnaire and prepare a fresh one through consultations with political parties, experts and public, so that a correct headcount of every caste and community is collected, and the caste census is precise, relevant and beneficial,” it said.Kharge and Rahul said a readymade solution to the problem is that a “drop down menu” comprising list of castes be added to the questionnaire. “This very methodology is used for counting SCs and STs (in Census)…this methodology was adopted in the caste surveys of Bihar and Telangana. We are enclosing the caste lists of the two surveys for understanding,” they said.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesFurther, they said such a list of castes for Census can easily be compiled on the basis of existing govt lists like Socially and Educationally Backward Classes and Anthropological Survey of India.Releasing the letter, AICC spokesman Jairam Ramesh and OBC department chairperson Anil Jaihind said govt had in an affidavit to Supreme Court in Sept 2021 submitted that a “drop down menu” with list of castes will have to be used if a caste census was to be done.Ramesh said census enumerators can carry the said list of OBCs and record precise answers to the question on caste. He accused govt of “sabotaging” caste census.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosBihar BPSC Protest Explodes In Patna As Students Break Barricades, Police Use Water Cannons | WatchIndia Opens DRDO Missile Technologies To Defence Firms In Major Push For Indigenous ProductionXi-Modi Meeting In Delhi? China Prepares Massive Delegation As India-China Ties Show Fresh ThawExplained: Why Are Sugar Prices Rising In India Despite Record Sugarcane Production?Supreme Court Notice To 20 Rebel TMC MPs On Abhishek Banerjee’s Disqualification Plea’People Were Shot In The Head’: Sonam Wangchuk Seeks Inquiry Report Into 2025 Ladakh ViolenceAjeet Bharti EXCLUSIVE On ‘Reservation Hatao Andolan’, Harsh Dubey, CJP & His Criticism Of BJPTMC’s Abhishek Banerjee Moves Supreme Court Over Delay In Disqualification Of 20 Rebel TMC MPsTrump Pushes 3,265 H-1B Fee; 71% Indian Professionals Brace For Major Immigration BlowJaishankar Meets Putin In Moscow, India-Russia Trade Soars As Both Sides Target 0 Billion By 2030123Photostories5 iconic places in Maharashtra where Ganesh Chaturthi is more than a festivalChinese singer Liu Yu’s Manish Malhotra couture moment in Paris is proof that Indian craftsmanship needs no introduction10 baby girl names that sound modern but have ancient roots5 traditional Bengali sarees you probably haven’t heard ofFrom castor to coconut oil: Natural oils for faster beard growthTraitors 2: From Shalini Passi’s over Rs 2,000 crore family wealth to Mallika Sherawat’s Rs 170 crore fortune, here’s a look at the net worth of popular contestantsYour blood pressure could be rising because of these 7 everyday habits you may think are completely harmless7 simple ways to live every day like a holiday like Dua Lipa, despite working full-timeUrvashi Rautela makes a tricolour statement in a one-of-a-kind gown that took 3 months to createOptical illusion personality test: The object you spot first reveals the trait you’re probably in denial about123Hot PicksBPSC exam rowSugar priceNew Zealand social media banTrump tariffICSI CS june resultNEET UG 2026Sridhar VembuTrump’s SpaceXNEET PG 2026 admit cardTop TrendingBandra Parsi BungalowSuresh GowdaRupali ChakankarKarnataka Food Licence SuspensionAllahabad High CourtMumbai Airport DemolitionRam RahimDelhi Women AccidentDelhi Gurgaon RainMaharashtra Hill Tragedy

Rahul, Kharge write to PM Modi over caste census NEW DELHI: Terming the methodology for caste count adopted in Census 2027 “misleading” as it will not give a headcount of OBCs, leaders of opposition in Parliament Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi have written to PM Narendra Modi demanding the Census questionnaire on caste notified recently be abandoned and a new one be drafted. They underlined that the word “OBC” has not even been used in Census.In the backdrop of the controversy triggered by the questionnaire, Kharge and Rahul told PM “your govt” has adopted an “open-ended question” to collect information about caste and that enumerators will have to take for answer whatever a person replies to the caste question.They argued that a caste is known by different names and sub-castes depending on the region, which would result in one caste being recorded by thousands of names. “This would result in lakhs of castes being registered in the country and the entire data recorded in the caste census would become useless,” the letter said.“We don’t approve of the caste census being done through this methodology. Govt should cancel the present questionnaire and prepare a fresh one through consultations with political parties, experts and public, so that a correct headcount of every caste and community is collected, and the caste census is precise, relevant and beneficial,” it said.Kharge and Rahul said a readymade solution to the problem is that a “drop down menu” comprising list of castes be added to the questionnaire. “This very methodology is used for counting SCs and STs (in Census)…this methodology was adopted in the caste surveys of Bihar and Telangana. We are enclosing the caste lists of the two surveys for understanding,” they said.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesFurther, they said such a list of castes for Census can easily be compiled on the basis of existing govt lists like Socially and Educationally Backward Classes and Anthropological Survey of India.Releasing the letter, AICC spokesman Jairam Ramesh and OBC department chairperson Anil Jaihind said govt had in an affidavit to Supreme Court in Sept 2021 submitted that a “drop down menu” with list of castes will have to be used if a caste census was to be done.Ramesh said census enumerators can carry the said list of OBCs and record precise answers to the question on caste. He accused govt of “sabotaging” caste census.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosBihar BPSC Protest Explodes In Patna As Students Break Barricades, Police Use Water Cannons | WatchIndia Opens DRDO Missile Technologies To Defence Firms In Major Push For Indigenous ProductionXi-Modi Meeting In Delhi? China Prepares Massive Delegation As India-China Ties Show Fresh ThawExplained: Why Are Sugar Prices Rising In India Despite Record Sugarcane Production?Supreme Court Notice To 20 Rebel TMC MPs On Abhishek Banerjee’s Disqualification Plea’People Were Shot In The Head’: Sonam Wangchuk Seeks Inquiry Report Into 2025 Ladakh ViolenceAjeet Bharti EXCLUSIVE On ‘Reservation Hatao Andolan’, Harsh Dubey, CJP & His Criticism Of BJPTMC’s Abhishek Banerjee Moves Supreme Court Over Delay In Disqualification Of 20 Rebel TMC MPsTrump Pushes $103,265 H-1B Fee; 71% Indian Professionals Brace For Major Immigration BlowJaishankar Meets Putin In Moscow, India-Russia Trade Soars As Both Sides Target $100 Billion By 2030123Photostories5 iconic places in Maharashtra where Ganesh Chaturthi is more than a festivalChinese singer Liu Yu’s Manish Malhotra couture moment in Paris is proof that Indian craftsmanship needs no introduction10 baby girl names that sound modern but have ancient roots5 traditional Bengali sarees you probably haven’t heard ofFrom castor to coconut oil: Natural oils for faster beard growthTraitors 2: From Shalini Passi’s over Rs 2,000 crore family wealth to Mallika Sherawat’s Rs 170 crore fortune, here’s a look at the net worth of popular contestantsYour blood pressure could be rising because of these 7 everyday habits you may think are completely harmless7 simple ways to live every day like a holiday like Dua Lipa, despite working full-timeUrvashi Rautela makes a tricolour statement in a one-of-a-kind gown that took 3 months to createOptical illusion personality test: The object you spot first reveals the trait you’re probably in denial about123Hot PicksBPSC exam rowSugar priceNew Zealand social media banTrump tariffICSI CS june resultNEET UG 2026Sridhar VembuTrump’s SpaceXNEET PG 2026 admit cardTop TrendingBandra Parsi BungalowSuresh GowdaRupali ChakankarKarnataka Food Licence SuspensionAllahabad High CourtMumbai Airport DemolitionRam RahimDelhi Women AccidentDelhi Gurgaon RainMaharashtra Hill Tragedy

Vamsikrishna 0
NEW DELHI: Former Chief of Defence Staff Anil Chauhan on Tuesday said India may have hit Pakistan’s Kirana Hills during Operation Sindoor last year, but the strike was unintentional.Speaking at the ‘VIMARSH’ event on Operation Sindoor and its aftermath at the Vivekanand International Foundation, Chauhan said Indian loitering missions sent to search for radars around Sargodha ran out of fuel and ended up hitting Kirana Hills — a site associated with Pakistan’s nuclear facilities.”At occasions, it’s been asked whether Kirana Hills were hit or not, which is where their (Pakistan’s) nuclear facilities are… Before those strikes, we had sent in a lot of loitering missions at Sargodha and Kirana Hills is about 10 kilometers north of Sargodha,” Chauhan said.”So the loitering mission is looking for radars which are in and around Sargodha, and it has a lifetime, which means it will loiter for about 2 hours and once it does not find a target, it comes down and hits somewhere. It must have come and hit one of those hills. So that could be one of the reasons as to what people asked, because Pakistani media also showed some kind of images in which there was smoke coming out from Kirana Hills,” he added.Chauhan also revealed details of another episode during the operation, saying the Air Chief sought his approval to strike Sargodha after Pakistan requested talks. However the target was changed to Bholari due to bad weather.”Once the Pakistanis had picked up the phone and said they wanted to talk at about 10 AM. The Air Chief asked me whether he should strike Sargodha, I said, Go ahead. I said, could you please identify two more targets, so one of the targets he identified was Skardu,” Chauhan said.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelines”We gave a yes, but after some time, the weather was bad over it and they had to change over to Bholari,” he added.During his address, Chauhan also stressed that military decisions involve varying levels of risk and must be assessed against the political objectives they are intended to achieve.”Each option has a certain kind of risk involved in it, and also it will satisfy the political need for which it was to be used. So, it’s an interplay between risk and attainment of political objectives,” he said.Chauhan said the operation remains relevant nearly 15 months after its major active phase ended. He said its assessment should take into account deficiencies identified during the operation, measures taken to address them and the changing nature of warfare.He added that these factors, along with wider global uncertainties, are creating new challenges for military planners.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorRohitashwa RanjanRohitashwa Ranjan is a digital journalist with The Times of India, where he decodes Indian politics as a carefully staged production with scripts, subtext and everything behind. His stories track elections, party dynamics and the things that often are buried beneath the headlines. When not parsing vote shares or alliances, he is usually reading between the lines, where the real story tends to reside.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosBihar BPSC Protest Explodes In Patna As Students Break Barricades, Police Use Water Cannons | WatchIndia Opens DRDO Missile Technologies To Defence Firms In Major Push For Indigenous ProductionXi-Modi Meeting In Delhi? 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NEW DELHI: Former Chief of Defence Staff Anil Chauhan on Tuesday said India may have hit Pakistan’s Kirana Hills during Operation Sindoor last year, but the strike was unintentional.Speaking at the ‘VIMARSH’ event on Operation Sindoor and its aftermath at the Vivekanand International Foundation, Chauhan said Indian loitering missions sent to search for radars around Sargodha ran out of fuel and ended up hitting Kirana Hills — a site associated with Pakistan’s nuclear facilities.”At occasions, it’s been asked whether Kirana Hills were hit or not, which is where their (Pakistan’s) nuclear facilities are… Before those strikes, we had sent in a lot of loitering missions at Sargodha and Kirana Hills is about 10 kilometers north of Sargodha,” Chauhan said.”So the loitering mission is looking for radars which are in and around Sargodha, and it has a lifetime, which means it will loiter for about 2 hours and once it does not find a target, it comes down and hits somewhere. It must have come and hit one of those hills. So that could be one of the reasons as to what people asked, because Pakistani media also showed some kind of images in which there was smoke coming out from Kirana Hills,” he added.Chauhan also revealed details of another episode during the operation, saying the Air Chief sought his approval to strike Sargodha after Pakistan requested talks. However the target was changed to Bholari due to bad weather.”Once the Pakistanis had picked up the phone and said they wanted to talk at about 10 AM. The Air Chief asked me whether he should strike Sargodha, I said, Go ahead. I said, could you please identify two more targets, so one of the targets he identified was Skardu,” Chauhan said.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelines”We gave a yes, but after some time, the weather was bad over it and they had to change over to Bholari,” he added.During his address, Chauhan also stressed that military decisions involve varying levels of risk and must be assessed against the political objectives they are intended to achieve.”Each option has a certain kind of risk involved in it, and also it will satisfy the political need for which it was to be used. So, it’s an interplay between risk and attainment of political objectives,” he said.Chauhan said the operation remains relevant nearly 15 months after its major active phase ended. He said its assessment should take into account deficiencies identified during the operation, measures taken to address them and the changing nature of warfare.He added that these factors, along with wider global uncertainties, are creating new challenges for military planners.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorRohitashwa RanjanRohitashwa Ranjan is a digital journalist with The Times of India, where he decodes Indian politics as a carefully staged production with scripts, subtext and everything behind. His stories track elections, party dynamics and the things that often are buried beneath the headlines. When not parsing vote shares or alliances, he is usually reading between the lines, where the real story tends to reside.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosBihar BPSC Protest Explodes In Patna As Students Break Barricades, Police Use Water Cannons | WatchIndia Opens DRDO Missile Technologies To Defence Firms In Major Push For Indigenous ProductionXi-Modi Meeting In Delhi? 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Vamsikrishna 0
NEW DELHI: Leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday defended actor Kriti Sanon amid criticism of her outfit in a Raksha Bandhan advertisement, saying “what women wears is her choice.”In a post on Instagram, Gandhi said, “What a woman wears, what she does and where she goes – is her choice.” “Stop trolling women for exercising their freedom,” he added.Rahul’s remarks came after Kriti responded to criticism of her jewellery advertisement, released ahead of Raksha Bandhan.The campaign features the actor in an Indo-Western outfit comprising a bralette-inspired blouse, cape and draped skirt.Addressing the controversy in an Instagram post, Kriti had earlier questioned the practice of judging a woman’s respect for culture based on her clothes.”The essence of festivals is not in the clothes you wear, it is in the emotions and meaning you hold for the traditions. Rakshabandhan is a bond of protection. My sister and I tie rakhi to each other. We know we can protect each other no less than a brother would have,” she said.Sanon said she and her sister pray for each other’s “health, happiness & long life”, adding that the same wishes extend to their dogs because “they are family!”She also questioned the scrutiny faced by women over their clothing. “Also, when will we stop telling women what to wear??” Sanon said. “Ethnic fashion has evolved over the years, but still a woman’s respect for her culture is measured with just her clothes!! Culture & Traditions are in her heart, not in her neckline!” she added.Kangana slams Kriti SanonEarlier on Monday, actor-turned-politician and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut also slammed Kriti questioning the styling of the advertisement in an Instagram Story.”It’s a wonderful time to be a woman. Our closets are full of variety of clothes, today’s woman is a global woman,” Kangana wrote.”From cocktail dresses to lehenga cholis, jeans to saris, bikinis to salwar kameez, from all the options that are available to us today why would you tie your brother a rakhi in your bikini/undergarments? Where are all your styling options? Ha ha the advert looks intentionally creepy!” she added.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesThe advertisement had sparked criticism on social media, with some users questioning whether Sanon’s outfit was appropriate for a campaign centred on Raksha Bandhan.One user on X wrote, “Where is Puja Ki thali? Why are you wearing bra in front of your brother? Is this a Raksha Bandhan? Where is Tilak?”Another user criticised the actor, writing, “No woman dresses like this on Raksha Bandhan. Shame on you @kritisanon.”Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorKanchan YadavKanchan Yadav is a writer at The Times of India, where she covers business, politics, international affairs and social issues. Her reporting also focuses on policy, governance and economic developments, with a close lens on how decisions in corridors of power affect everyday lives and community well-being.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosIndia Opens DRDO Missile Technologies To Defence Firms In Major Push For Indigenous ProductionXi-Modi Meeting In Delhi? China Prepares Massive Delegation As India-China Ties Show Fresh ThawExplained: Why Are Sugar Prices Rising In India Despite Record Sugarcane Production?Supreme Court Notice To 20 Rebel TMC MPs On Abhishek Banerjee’s Disqualification Plea’People Were Shot In The Head’: Sonam Wangchuk Seeks Inquiry Report Into 2025 Ladakh ViolenceAjeet Bharti EXCLUSIVE On ‘Reservation Hatao Andolan’, Harsh Dubey, CJP & His Criticism Of BJPTMC’s Abhishek Banerjee Moves Supreme Court Over Delay In Disqualification Of 20 Rebel TMC MPsTrump Pushes 3,265 H-1B Fee; 71% Indian Professionals Brace For Major Immigration BlowJaishankar Meets Putin In Moscow, India-Russia Trade Soars As Both Sides Target 0 Billion By 2030Fresh Kashmiri Pandit Threat: Hit List Reveals Addresses, Phone Numbers, Vehicle Details Online123Photostories5 iconic places in Maharashtra where Ganesh Chaturthi is more than a festivalChinese singer Liu Yu’s Manish Malhotra couture moment in Paris is proof that Indian craftsmanship needs no introduction10 baby girl names that sound modern but have ancient roots5 traditional Bengali sarees you probably haven’t heard ofFrom castor to coconut oil: Natural oils for faster beard growthTraitors 2: From Shalini Passi’s over Rs 2,000 crore family wealth to Mallika Sherawat’s Rs 170 crore fortune, here’s a look at the net worth of popular contestantsYour blood pressure could be rising because of these 7 everyday habits you may think are completely harmless7 simple ways to live every day like a holiday like Dua Lipa, despite working full-timeUrvashi Rautela makes a tricolour statement in a one-of-a-kind gown that took 3 months to createOptical illusion personality test: The object you spot first reveals the trait you’re probably in denial about123Hot PicksBPSC exam rowSugar priceNew Zealand social media banTrump tariffICSI CS june resultNEET UG 2026Sridhar VembuTrump’s SpaceXNEET PG 2026 admit cardTop TrendingBandra Parsi BungalowSuresh GowdaRupali ChakankarKarnataka Food Licence SuspensionAllahabad High CourtMumbai Airport DemolitionRam RahimDelhi Women AccidentDelhi Gurgaon RainMaharashtra Hill Tragedy

NEW DELHI: Leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday defended actor Kriti Sanon amid criticism of her outfit in a Raksha Bandhan advertisement, saying “what women wears is her choice.”In a post on Instagram, Gandhi said, “What a woman wears, what she does and where she goes – is her choice.” “Stop trolling women for exercising their freedom,” he added.Rahul’s remarks came after Kriti responded to criticism of her jewellery advertisement, released ahead of Raksha Bandhan.The campaign features the actor in an Indo-Western outfit comprising a bralette-inspired blouse, cape and draped skirt.Addressing the controversy in an Instagram post, Kriti had earlier questioned the practice of judging a woman’s respect for culture based on her clothes.”The essence of festivals is not in the clothes you wear, it is in the emotions and meaning you hold for the traditions. Rakshabandhan is a bond of protection. My sister and I tie rakhi to each other. We know we can protect each other no less than a brother would have,” she said.Sanon said she and her sister pray for each other’s “health, happiness & long life”, adding that the same wishes extend to their dogs because “they are family!”She also questioned the scrutiny faced by women over their clothing. “Also, when will we stop telling women what to wear??” Sanon said. “Ethnic fashion has evolved over the years, but still a woman’s respect for her culture is measured with just her clothes!! Culture & Traditions are in her heart, not in her neckline!” she added.Kangana slams Kriti SanonEarlier on Monday, actor-turned-politician and BJP MP Kangana Ranaut also slammed Kriti questioning the styling of the advertisement in an Instagram Story.”It’s a wonderful time to be a woman. Our closets are full of variety of clothes, today’s woman is a global woman,” Kangana wrote.”From cocktail dresses to lehenga cholis, jeans to saris, bikinis to salwar kameez, from all the options that are available to us today why would you tie your brother a rakhi in your bikini/undergarments? Where are all your styling options? Ha ha the advert looks intentionally creepy!” she added.Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesThe advertisement had sparked criticism on social media, with some users questioning whether Sanon’s outfit was appropriate for a campaign centred on Raksha Bandhan.One user on X wrote, “Where is Puja Ki thali? Why are you wearing bra in front of your brother? Is this a Raksha Bandhan? Where is Tilak?”Another user criticised the actor, writing, “No woman dresses like this on Raksha Bandhan. Shame on you @kritisanon.”Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorKanchan YadavKanchan Yadav is a writer at The Times of India, where she covers business, politics, international affairs and social issues. Her reporting also focuses on policy, governance and economic developments, with a close lens on how decisions in corridors of power affect everyday lives and community well-being.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosIndia Opens DRDO Missile Technologies To Defence Firms In Major Push For Indigenous ProductionXi-Modi Meeting In Delhi? China Prepares Massive Delegation As India-China Ties Show Fresh ThawExplained: Why Are Sugar Prices Rising In India Despite Record Sugarcane Production?Supreme Court Notice To 20 Rebel TMC MPs On Abhishek Banerjee’s Disqualification Plea’People Were Shot In The Head’: Sonam Wangchuk Seeks Inquiry Report Into 2025 Ladakh ViolenceAjeet Bharti EXCLUSIVE On ‘Reservation Hatao Andolan’, Harsh Dubey, CJP & His Criticism Of BJPTMC’s Abhishek Banerjee Moves Supreme Court Over Delay In Disqualification Of 20 Rebel TMC MPsTrump Pushes $103,265 H-1B Fee; 71% Indian Professionals Brace For Major Immigration BlowJaishankar Meets Putin In Moscow, India-Russia Trade Soars As Both Sides Target $100 Billion By 2030Fresh Kashmiri Pandit Threat: Hit List Reveals Addresses, Phone Numbers, Vehicle Details Online123Photostories5 iconic places in Maharashtra where Ganesh Chaturthi is more than a festivalChinese singer Liu Yu’s Manish Malhotra couture moment in Paris is proof that Indian craftsmanship needs no introduction10 baby girl names that sound modern but have ancient roots5 traditional Bengali sarees you probably haven’t heard ofFrom castor to coconut oil: Natural oils for faster beard growthTraitors 2: From Shalini Passi’s over Rs 2,000 crore family wealth to Mallika Sherawat’s Rs 170 crore fortune, here’s a look at the net worth of popular contestantsYour blood pressure could be rising because of these 7 everyday habits you may think are completely harmless7 simple ways to live every day like a holiday like Dua Lipa, despite working full-timeUrvashi Rautela makes a tricolour statement in a one-of-a-kind gown that took 3 months to createOptical illusion personality test: The object you spot first reveals the trait you’re probably in denial about123Hot PicksBPSC exam rowSugar priceNew Zealand social media banTrump tariffICSI CS june resultNEET UG 2026Sridhar VembuTrump’s SpaceXNEET PG 2026 admit cardTop TrendingBandra Parsi BungalowSuresh GowdaRupali ChakankarKarnataka Food Licence SuspensionAllahabad High CourtMumbai Airport DemolitionRam RahimDelhi Women AccidentDelhi Gurgaon RainMaharashtra Hill Tragedy

Vamsikrishna 0
Organ transplant in India. Photo credit: AP India’s transplant system has grown rapidly, from 4,990 transplants in 2013 to 20,138 in 2025. But for a patient, a transplant is far more than a surgical procedure. It is a journey through medical tests, clearances, documentation, waiting, uncertainty, organ matching and, eventually, surgery and lifelong follow-up.Transplant hospitals and coordinators are at the centre of this system, working within the wider network of the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO), Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisations (ROTTOs) and State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisations (SOTTOs).Yet statistics and institutional structures can obscure what the process actually feels like for the person waiting for an organ. For recipients such as Hemant Kumar Thakur and Shrishti Sinha, the reality is one of uncertainty, exhaustion and fear — followed by the possibility of a second chance at life.India’s organ transplant system works through a three-tier hierarchical network coordinated by NOTTO, ROTTO, and SOTTOThe journey begins before surgeryA patient with advanced organ failure is first evaluated at a registered transplant centre. The assessment can involve blood tests, imaging, organ-specific investigations and evaluation by a multidisciplinary team. If found medically suitable, the patient is registered in the relevant transplant system.Being on a waiting list, however, does not simply mean waiting in chronological order. Allocation depends on the organ and applicable rules, including factors such as medical urgency, compatibility and, for some organs, time spent on the list. NOTTO’s framework also provides for urgent and super-urgent categories. For kidney patients, for instance, time on dialysis is among the factors considered.Live Kidneys lead India’s transplant numbers. NOTTO coordinates the system nationally, while ROTTOs and SOTTOs connect regional and state-level transplant activity. The State Appropriate Authority separately oversees regulatory compliance, including the registration of transplant centres and adherence to legal and ethical requirements.For recipients, however, the elaborate network can feel much simpler: a long wait, a stream of tests and paperwork, and the constant question of what happens next.“The process is not smooth”Hemant Kumar Thakur, from Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, underwent a kidney transplant at Apollo Hospitals in Kolkata, with his wife, Kanchan Mala, donating a kidney. For him, the hardest part was not the operation but navigating the process beforehand.Because he lived in Jharkhand while the transplant took place in West Bengal, Hemant had to deal with inter-state approvals and paperwork.“Because the procedure involved two different states — Jharkhand and West Bengal — I had to obtain No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from both states before the transplant could proceed,” he said.The transplant journey begins long before the operating room, with a long road of tests, paperwork and waiting.Despite the difficulties, Hemant was fortunate to have a compatible donor within his family.“The process is not smooth; it is quite challenging. I was lucky that the match was found within my own family, with my wife,” he said.His experience also made him aware of the uncertainty faced by patients without a matching family donor. He recalled seeing patients who had found donors and completed much of the paperwork, only for the donor to later withdraw.“After going through the entire process, they were back where they had started — back to square one,” he said.Consent can change the courseIndia’s transplant framework is governed by the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994 (THOTA) and related rules. Organ donation must be voluntary and free from commercial dealings, while transplantation is permitted only through authorised institutions.Dr Ankur Garg, GI Surgeon and Liver Transplant Specialist at Paras Health in Gurugram, says legitimate organisations and transplant coordinators play an important role in educating patients, facilitating listing and supporting families when brain-stem death is declared.But he warns that patients can also be targeted by unscrupulous intermediaries.“There will always be unsocial elements, touts, agents in society luring needy patients and families and giving false hopes and promises of early organ allocation, lesser waiting times and so much extra,” he said.Consent can also change during the donation process. Dr Garg explains that once brain-stem death has been declared and the family consents to donation, the process of identifying eligible recipients begins. But consent can still be withdrawn before organ retrieval.“Before wheeling into the operation theatre where organ harvesting happens, anyone can withdraw consent, and the whole process will stop,” he said.For recipients, that possibility can mean losing an organ they had been preparing to receive and returning to the uncertainty of the waiting list.Once an organ is allocated, the recipient is prepared for surgery and then closely monitored for complications and organ functionLiving donation: another route, but not a simple oneNot every patient has to depend on a deceased donor. Certain organs, particularly kidneys and part of the liver, can be donated by living donors after medical, legal and ethical evaluation.The donor’s compatibility and health are assessed, while the legal process depends partly on the relationship between donor and recipient. Near-relative donations follow the applicable framework, while other living-donor relationships may require scrutiny by an Authorisation Committee.Dr Garg says a patient cannot simply register at multiple centres and wait for whichever offers an organ first.“As per the rule, any patient is allowed to register at one place only. Under NOTTO guidelines and Indian transplant regulations, a patient cannot be registered on a deceased donor waiting list at multiple hospitals or centres simultaneously,” he said.He said the listing process requires a medical summary, blood group, relevant reports and valid Aadhaar or national identification.Following the surgery, transplant centres also continue monitoring recipient information and clinical status.The surgery is only the beginningOnce an organ is allocated, the recipient is prepared for surgery and then closely monitored for complications and organ function. But leaving the hospital does not mean leaving the transplant journey behind.Recipients must take prescribed immunosuppressive medicines consistently, attend follow-up appointments and undergo regular investigations. Transplant centres also continue monitoring recipient information and clinical status.Hemant said his own transplant was comparatively smooth once the approvals and paperwork were completed, but the financial and medical commitments continued.He spent approximately Rs 15–20 lakh on the transplant and related treatment in 2020.“I do not have any additional complications. I just go for routine check-ups every six months and have to take medication for the rest of my life,” he said.He currently spends around Rs 7,000–8,000 a month on medicines, although he noted that aftercare and medication costs vary between patients.Hemant also contrasted the long-term experience of the recipient with that of his living donor, his wife.“The donor has to take medicines for about three months after the transplant and can lead a normal life,” he said.The emotional toll of transplantationShrishti Sinha, an engineer who now works as a freelancer in Delhi, describes her transplant journey through a different lens: uncertainty, gratitude, fear and the possibility of rebuilding a future. Watch What Happens After You Apply For A Transplant?“There are many moments of uncertainty. There are medical tests, clearances, waiting for updates and constantly wondering what comes next,” she says.Even hope was fragile.“Not completely. As if one moment hope was rising, the next it was gone. There were cases more severe than mine, or someone who had a higher percentage of surviving,” she recalls.Shrishti underwent treatment at R&R Hospital in Delhi and remembers her doctors as a source of encouragement.“It was R&R Hospital, Delhi, and the doctors were positive and kept trying to cheer me up,” she says.When she finally realised she would receive an organ, her response was deeply personal.“I was crying and feeling grateful that I was going to live, that I would get to spend more time with my husband and create a future,” she recalls.Recovery brings a new set of challengesThe transplant did not instantly restore normal life. Shrishti found recovery difficult, from eating and drinking to physiotherapy.“Recovery was not straightforward. There were challenges with eating, drinking and physiotherapy. Seeing the scar for the first time was scary,” she says.There were unexpected experiences, too.“The weirdest thing was having strange cravings that I never used to have,” she recalls.Five years later, however, she says the biggest change is her ability to think beyond her illness.“The biggest change is that I can think about the future again. Before the transplant, so much of my life revolved around my health and whether my condition would deteriorate further.”Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesShe now marks the day of her operation as something more than a medical milestone.“Five years later, I have started treating my operation day as my second birthday, a chance to live,” she says.Behind every transplant statistic is a patient who has waited, a donor who has made an extraordinary decision, and a family navigating a system in which every clearance, consent and organ offer can change the course of a life.Beyond the numbersIndia’s transplant system may be measured in hospitals, registries, waiting lists and annual numbers. But for the person inside it, transplantation is much more intimate: months of paperwork, uncertainty and waiting, followed by surgery and the lifelong responsibility of protecting the new organ.Behind every transplant statistic is a patient who has waited, a donor who has made an extraordinary decision, and a family navigating a system in which every clearance, consent and organ offer can change the course of a life.For recipients like Hemant and Shrishti, the transplant is ultimately not just about surviving. It is about being able to imagine tomorrow again.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorSubhadra SrivastavaSubhadra Srivastava is a journalist with The Times of India, covering geopolitics, international and national affairs. With over three years of experience, she focuses on national and global developments, conflict, diplomacy and their impact on India. Her work combines breaking news with in-depth analysis, offering readers context and clarity on the stories shaping the world.Read MoreEnd of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosExplained: Why Are Sugar Prices Rising In India Despite Record Sugarcane Production?Supreme Court Notice To 20 Rebel TMC MPs On Abhishek Banerjee’s Disqualification Plea’People Were Shot In The Head’: Sonam Wangchuk Seeks Inquiry Report Into 2025 Ladakh ViolenceAjeet Bharti EXCLUSIVE On ‘Reservation Hatao Andolan’, Harsh Dubey, CJP & His Criticism Of BJPTMC’s Abhishek Banerjee Moves Supreme Court Over Delay In Disqualification Of 20 Rebel TMC MPsTrump Pushes 3,265 H-1B Fee; 71% Indian Professionals Brace For Major Immigration BlowJaishankar Meets Putin In Moscow, India-Russia Trade Soars As Both Sides Target 0 Billion By 2030Fresh Kashmiri Pandit Threat: Hit List Reveals Addresses, Phone Numbers, Vehicle Details OnlineDelhi-NCR Rain Fury: Gurugram Under Orange Alert, Work From Home Advisory Issued For August 25’Ram-Ram Inside, Fish Feast Outside’: Yogi Adityanath Slams Cong Over Ayodhya Event; Ajay Rai Reacts123Photostories5 traditional Bengali sarees you probably haven’t heard ofFrom castor to coconut oil: Natural oils for faster beard growthTraitors 2: From Shalini Passi’s over Rs 2,000 crore family wealth to Mallika Sherawat’s Rs 170 crore fortune, here’s a look at the net worth of popular contestantsYour blood pressure could be rising because of these 7 everyday habits you may think are completely harmless7 simple ways to live every day like a holiday like Dua Lipa, despite working full-timeUrvashi Rautela makes a tricolour statement in a one-of-a-kind gown that took 3 months to createOptical illusion personality test: The object you spot first reveals the trait you’re probably in denial about‘They don’t love you, they love your name’:Asim Riaz takes explosive dig at ex Himanshi Khurana, calls her a ‘fame digger’First egg, now chicken? 7 things to know about the Salmonella outbreak in the UKHow to remove coconut flesh from the shell easily: 5 simple tricks without wasting the coconut123Hot PicksBPSC exam rowSugar priceNew Zealand social media banTrump tariffICSI CS june resultNEET UG 2026Sridhar VembuTrump’s SpaceXNEET PG 2026 admit cardTop TrendingBandra Parsi BungalowSuresh GowdaRupali ChakankarKarnataka Food Licence SuspensionAllahabad High CourtMumbai Airport DemolitionRam RahimDelhi Women AccidentDelhi Gurgaon RainMaharashtra Hill Tragedy

Organ transplant in India. Photo credit: AP India’s transplant system has grown rapidly, from 4,990 transplants in 2013 to 20,138 in 2025. But for a patient, a transplant is far more than a surgical procedure. It is a journey through medical tests, clearances, documentation, waiting, uncertainty, organ matching and, eventually, surgery and lifelong follow-up.Transplant hospitals and coordinators are at the centre of this system, working within the wider network of the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO), Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisations (ROTTOs) and State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisations (SOTTOs).Yet statistics and institutional structures can obscure what the process actually feels like for the person waiting for an organ. For recipients such as Hemant Kumar Thakur and Shrishti Sinha, the reality is one of uncertainty, exhaustion and fear — followed by the possibility of a second chance at life.India’s organ transplant system works through a three-tier hierarchical network coordinated by NOTTO, ROTTO, and SOTTOThe journey begins before surgeryA patient with advanced organ failure is first evaluated at a registered transplant centre. The assessment can involve blood tests, imaging, organ-specific investigations and evaluation by a multidisciplinary team. If found medically suitable, the patient is registered in the relevant transplant system.Being on a waiting list, however, does not simply mean waiting in chronological order. Allocation depends on the organ and applicable rules, including factors such as medical urgency, compatibility and, for some organs, time spent on the list. NOTTO’s framework also provides for urgent and super-urgent categories. For kidney patients, for instance, time on dialysis is among the factors considered.Live Kidneys lead India’s transplant numbers. NOTTO coordinates the system nationally, while ROTTOs and SOTTOs connect regional and state-level transplant activity. The State Appropriate Authority separately oversees regulatory compliance, including the registration of transplant centres and adherence to legal and ethical requirements.For recipients, however, the elaborate network can feel much simpler: a long wait, a stream of tests and paperwork, and the constant question of what happens next.“The process is not smooth”Hemant Kumar Thakur, from Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, underwent a kidney transplant at Apollo Hospitals in Kolkata, with his wife, Kanchan Mala, donating a kidney. For him, the hardest part was not the operation but navigating the process beforehand.Because he lived in Jharkhand while the transplant took place in West Bengal, Hemant had to deal with inter-state approvals and paperwork.“Because the procedure involved two different states — Jharkhand and West Bengal — I had to obtain No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from both states before the transplant could proceed,” he said.The transplant journey begins long before the operating room, with a long road of tests, paperwork and waiting.Despite the difficulties, Hemant was fortunate to have a compatible donor within his family.“The process is not smooth; it is quite challenging. I was lucky that the match was found within my own family, with my wife,” he said.His experience also made him aware of the uncertainty faced by patients without a matching family donor. He recalled seeing patients who had found donors and completed much of the paperwork, only for the donor to later withdraw.“After going through the entire process, they were back where they had started — back to square one,” he said.Consent can change the courseIndia’s transplant framework is governed by the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994 (THOTA) and related rules. Organ donation must be voluntary and free from commercial dealings, while transplantation is permitted only through authorised institutions.Dr Ankur Garg, GI Surgeon and Liver Transplant Specialist at Paras Health in Gurugram, says legitimate organisations and transplant coordinators play an important role in educating patients, facilitating listing and supporting families when brain-stem death is declared.But he warns that patients can also be targeted by unscrupulous intermediaries.“There will always be unsocial elements, touts, agents in society luring needy patients and families and giving false hopes and promises of early organ allocation, lesser waiting times and so much extra,” he said.Consent can also change during the donation process. Dr Garg explains that once brain-stem death has been declared and the family consents to donation, the process of identifying eligible recipients begins. But consent can still be withdrawn before organ retrieval.“Before wheeling into the operation theatre where organ harvesting happens, anyone can withdraw consent, and the whole process will stop,” he said.For recipients, that possibility can mean losing an organ they had been preparing to receive and returning to the uncertainty of the waiting list.Once an organ is allocated, the recipient is prepared for surgery and then closely monitored for complications and organ functionLiving donation: another route, but not a simple oneNot every patient has to depend on a deceased donor. Certain organs, particularly kidneys and part of the liver, can be donated by living donors after medical, legal and ethical evaluation.The donor’s compatibility and health are assessed, while the legal process depends partly on the relationship between donor and recipient. Near-relative donations follow the applicable framework, while other living-donor relationships may require scrutiny by an Authorisation Committee.Dr Garg says a patient cannot simply register at multiple centres and wait for whichever offers an organ first.“As per the rule, any patient is allowed to register at one place only. Under NOTTO guidelines and Indian transplant regulations, a patient cannot be registered on a deceased donor waiting list at multiple hospitals or centres simultaneously,” he said.He said the listing process requires a medical summary, blood group, relevant reports and valid Aadhaar or national identification.Following the surgery, transplant centres also continue monitoring recipient information and clinical status.The surgery is only the beginningOnce an organ is allocated, the recipient is prepared for surgery and then closely monitored for complications and organ function. But leaving the hospital does not mean leaving the transplant journey behind.Recipients must take prescribed immunosuppressive medicines consistently, attend follow-up appointments and undergo regular investigations. Transplant centres also continue monitoring recipient information and clinical status.Hemant said his own transplant was comparatively smooth once the approvals and paperwork were completed, but the financial and medical commitments continued.He spent approximately Rs 15–20 lakh on the transplant and related treatment in 2020.“I do not have any additional complications. I just go for routine check-ups every six months and have to take medication for the rest of my life,” he said.He currently spends around Rs 7,000–8,000 a month on medicines, although he noted that aftercare and medication costs vary between patients.Hemant also contrasted the long-term experience of the recipient with that of his living donor, his wife.“The donor has to take medicines for about three months after the transplant and can lead a normal life,” he said.The emotional toll of transplantationShrishti Sinha, an engineer who now works as a freelancer in Delhi, describes her transplant journey through a different lens: uncertainty, gratitude, fear and the possibility of rebuilding a future. Watch What Happens After You Apply For A Transplant?“There are many moments of uncertainty. There are medical tests, clearances, waiting for updates and constantly wondering what comes next,” she says.Even hope was fragile.“Not completely. As if one moment hope was rising, the next it was gone. There were cases more severe than mine, or someone who had a higher percentage of surviving,” she recalls.Shrishti underwent treatment at R&R Hospital in Delhi and remembers her doctors as a source of encouragement.“It was R&R Hospital, Delhi, and the doctors were positive and kept trying to cheer me up,” she says.When she finally realised she would receive an organ, her response was deeply personal.“I was crying and feeling grateful that I was going to live, that I would get to spend more time with my husband and create a future,” she recalls.Recovery brings a new set of challengesThe transplant did not instantly restore normal life. Shrishti found recovery difficult, from eating and drinking to physiotherapy.“Recovery was not straightforward. There were challenges with eating, drinking and physiotherapy. Seeing the scar for the first time was scary,” she says.There were unexpected experiences, too.“The weirdest thing was having strange cravings that I never used to have,” she recalls.Five years later, however, she says the biggest change is her ability to think beyond her illness.“The biggest change is that I can think about the future again. Before the transplant, so much of my life revolved around my health and whether my condition would deteriorate further.”Join conversationView All Comments →Share your thoughts in the commentsInsightfulAgreeDisagreeSkepticalConcerningPromisingWorth ReadingBig DevelopmentPost CommentBe respectful · TOI community guidelinesShe now marks the day of her operation as something more than a medical milestone.“Five years later, I have started treating my operation day as my second birthday, a chance to live,” she says.Behind every transplant statistic is a patient who has waited, a donor who has made an extraordinary decision, and a family navigating a system in which every clearance, consent and organ offer can change the course of a life.Beyond the numbersIndia’s transplant system may be measured in hospitals, registries, waiting lists and annual numbers. But for the person inside it, transplantation is much more intimate: months of paperwork, uncertainty and waiting, followed by surgery and the lifelong responsibility of protecting the new organ.Behind every transplant statistic is a patient who has waited, a donor who has made an extraordinary decision, and a family navigating a system in which every clearance, consent and organ offer can change the course of a life.For recipients like Hemant and Shrishti, the transplant is ultimately not just about surviving. It is about being able to imagine tomorrow again.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.About the AuthorSubhadra SrivastavaSubhadra Srivastava is a journalist with The Times of India, covering geopolitics, international and national affairs. With over three years of experience, she focuses on national and global developments, conflict, diplomacy and their impact on India. 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