India, April 5 -- Kolhapur, home to approximately 3.8 million people according to the 2011 census, has emerged as Maharashtra's frontrunner in online organ donation pledges.

Since October 2023, when the central government launched a web portal to facilitate citizens' pledges for organ and tissue donation, the Kolhapur district has recorded 3,760 pledges, outpacing much larger cities like Mumbai and Pune.

Organ donation pledges are not legally binding. If someone dies under conditions suitable for donation-such as brain death in a hospital-the pledge can ease decision-making and speed up the transplantation process.

Data from the Maharashtra government's health department highlights a rising wave of support for organ donation across the...