HDFC Bank sets world record in blood collection

The private sector lender HDFC Bank has set a world record by collecting over 60,000 units of blood in a single day.
It has been recognized by the London-based Guinness Book of World Records as the organizer of the largest blood collection drive on a single day at multiple locations last December.
"The largest blood donation (multiple venues) involved 61,902 participants and was achieved by HDFC Bank, with 1,115 blood donation camps held across 709 locations in the country on December 6, 2013," the official citation from the Guinness Records said.
Shiv Sena, the Mumbai-headquartered political party, holds the world record for single-location blood collection.

On April 25, 2010, it collected over 25,000 units of blood at a camp held on the NSE Grounds here, setting a record in the single-location single-day category.
"At HDFC Bank, we believe that to make a meaningful contribution to the society we cannot offer short-term relief but must strive to find viable long-term solutions. This philosophy of long-term sustainable solutions drives all our CSR initiatives," a senior bank official told PTI.
He said the country needs close to 12 million units of blood each year but is able to collect just half of that. "We saw the need for a long-term sustainable programme to provide access to safe blood to the millions."

The drive also included setting up blood banks in the areas that lack adequate infrastructure for storage, he added.