5.28 lakh schoolchildren to be covered under Kanti Velugu: Collector R Muthyala Raju

Eluru: West Godavari District Collector R Muthyala Raju has announced that as many as 5,28, 259 children studying in government and private schools would be covered under first phase of Dr YSR Kanti Velugu scheme in the district.

He inaugurated the scheme at Kasturba Municipal Girls School here on Thursday. Speaking on the occasion, the Collector informed that the State government would be implementing the scheme in six phases during the next two years with the sole aim of mitigating preventable blindness.

A comprehensive eye examination would be conducted to all the people in the State and problems like eye sight, cataract, diabetic retinopathy and others would be treated besides distribution of eye glasses, if necessary.

As part of this exercise, children in 4, 417 government and private schools in the district would be screened for eye ailments and necessary treatment would be provided in the first two phases of the scheme up to October 16.

The surgeries necessary for the students would be conducted by medical experts and spectacles would also be provided free of cost during November and December, he informed.

He said that specially trained 4, 947 teams would conduct eye test during Thursday and Friday in urban areas and during October 14 to 16 in rural schools. He urged the school teachers and managements to help their students avail the services under the scheme.

He also requested the students not to watch TV and mobile close to eyes to avoid eye sight related problems at young age. He suggested them to consume food rich in Vitamin A to avoid eye ailments.

MLC Ramu Surya Rao also spoke on the occasion. Joint Collector Tej Bharat, DMHO Dr Subrahmanyeswari, DEO CV Renuka and others were present on the occasion.