New Delhi, Oct 26 (IANS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday highlighted the need for organ donation in the country and encouraged people for it.

Stating that there is annual need of over 2.5 lakh kidney, heart and liver donations, the prime minister said the organ donation is "very important in the country".

"Only 5,000 successful transplants are done every year. Every year we need at least one lakh eyes. But we manage to do only 25,000 transplants. Those who die in road accidents, their organs can be donated. There are few legal formalities in this," he said in his monthly radio programme "Mann Ki Baat".

He said few states have done well "in this regard by cutting short the paper work" while appreciating Tamil Nadu for having done "extremely well" in organ donation.

NOTTO (Nation Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization) has been established for this purpose and a national helpline is also available, he said. "A few days ago we saw how a liver transplant saved life of a hand-cart puller at Delhi's G.P. Pant hospital."

The prime minister made a special mention of students of Saint Mary Upper Primary School, Kochi, Kerala, who sent him a letter with the painting of 'Mother India' and India's map created with finger prints.

"...They are carrying out public-awareness campaign for organ donation among people in their state, through various forms. These children wrote to me that I should appeal to the people to donate their organs through 'Mann Ki Baat'," he added.