New Delhi, Feb. 16 -- The government has framed stringent new regulations and raised the entry barrier for setting up new blood banks and centres to curb the culture of replacement donation and 'professional donors' who increase the risk of transfusion infections.

The rules restrict eligibility to registered voluntary and charitable organizations, barring family societies and trusts, and mandate social accountability evaluation, among other measures, according to two government officials and documents reviewed by Mint.

Both new and existing blood centres must adhere to rigorous operational and ethical benchmarks to secure and maintain their licences, including establishing their own component separation and storage facility within two y...