Students told to test their eyes: Balineni Srinivas Reddy

Ongole: Energy, Forest, Environment, Science and Technology Minister Balineni Srinivas Reddy advised the students to test their eyes without fail by a team of doctors' as part of YSR Kantivelugu programme.

The minister inaugurated the programme at Municipal High School in Ram Nagar here on Thursday morning. The minister announced that Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy has taken the initiative to ensure that all the problems relating to eyes were addressed in a phased manner.

He said that as per the promise made by the Chief Minister in his padayatra, the government has made arrangements to conduct eye tests and provide necessary treatment to all people in the state in six phases.

He said that the students who had eyesight problems will be given spectacles and performed surgeries by experts depending on the necessity, at the expenditure of the government.

Ongole MP Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy said that as part of the observation of International Blind Day on Thursday, the Chief Minister introduced the 'YSR Kanthi Velugu' program to address eye diseases in the public. He said that the government was spending about Rs 560 crore for testing 70 lakh people in the state.

District Collector Dr Pola Bhaskara said that the State government has made arrangements to test 4.80 lakh students in 4402 government and private schools from October 10 to 16 under the program.

He said that surgeries would be done at the primary health centers for the students who require them. He said that a program is prepared to conduct eye tests for all people in the district.

The DMHO Dr B Vinod Kumar, district blind control officer Sridevi Priya, district education officer VS Subbarao, district panchayat officer GV Narayana Reddy, OMC Commissioner P Niranjan Reddy and others also participated in the programme.