Kanti Velugu-II empowers millions: 100 days of transformative eye care revolution

HYDERABAD: Telangana government's Kanti Velugu programme, which aims to provide preventive measures and eradicate blindness in Telangana, has successfully completed 100 days in its second phase. To mark the occasion, a grand celebration was organised at the Dr. BR Ambedkar Secretariat on Saturday. Finance and Health Minister Harish Rao, along with ministers Prashanth Reddy, Srinivas Goud, Jagadish Reddy, and Gangula Kamalakar, as well as Telangana State Medical Services & Infrastructure Development Corporation (TSMSIDC) chairman Errolla Srinivas, graced the occasion by cutting a cake to commemorate this significant milestone.

Minister Harish Rao expressed his delight over the achievement and extended his congratulations to the dedicated Asha and ANM workers Kanti Velugu is the brainchild of Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao and is aimed at making Telangana free from avoidable blindness . Minister Harish Rao lauded the efforts of the health department, other departments, and public representatives involved in organising this remarkable initiative. He praised Chief Minister KCR's compassionate and proactive approach in implementing this ambitious scheme, which offers free eye examinations and spectacles to the people of Telangana.

In its second phase, the Kanti Velugu programme has successfully screened a staggering 161 million people across the state from January 18. Among them, 40.59 lakh individuals, constituting 25.1 percent, have been identified as visually impaired. As part of the initiative, 22.51 lakh people have received free reading glasses, while 18.08 lakh people have been provided with prescription glasses at no cost.

The programme has successfully been implemented in all 24 districts of the state so far. Minister Harish Rao urged officials to maintain the same dedication and spirit in the remaining nine districts to ensure the completion of eye screenings throughout the state.

Upon completion of the screenings, immediate provision of reading glasses and delivery of prescription glasses within four weeks were ensured. The camps were meticulously organised, and once the Kanti Velugu program was completed in a district, the staff members were reassigned to their regular duties, while those in the remaining districts were provided with food, accommodation, and transportation facilities.