Govt readies to distribute 55 lakh glasses to poor under Kanti Velugu

Hyderabad: As many as 1, 500 teams will be pressed in to take up eye checkups in the State under the Kanti Velugu scheme as the government has targeted distributing close to 55 lakh glasses to the masses.

With an aim to overcome the eye ailments of the people, the State government is starting the second phase of Kanti Velugu scheme from January 18. The Health Minister T Harish Rao had a review meeting with the district Collectors through video conference here on Tuesday. He asked the district Collectors to take along the public representatives like MPs, MLAs, MLCs and local representatives in the programme.

Asking the district Collectors to have micro planning for implementing the scheme in the districts, the Health Minister said that any laxity would result in serious action by the government. The first phase of Kanti Velugu was taken up in eight months and now the program should be completed within 100 days. The government has increased the number of teams compared to previous occasion.

"During the first phase, there were 827 teams but now the number has been increased to 1,500 teams. Government will take up eye tests and distribute 30 lakh reading glasses and 25 lakh prescription glasses. The glasses should be dispatched to the district hospitals before the program begins and they should be handed over within one month after the tests," said Harish Rao.

Stating that the Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao thinks in people's perspective, the Health Minister said that the state government would provide all the facilities and asked the officials to work with responsibility. The authorities should make arrangements without affecting their routine duties.

He asked the officials to work in coordination with the Municipal and Panchayat Raj departments and should clear the doubts of public representatives on the Kanti Velugu in the district, mandal and municipal meetings. After completing the micro planning in the district, meetings should be organised with the district minister and public representatives. The teams should ensure there are no difficulties in having the camps. The officials should keep buffer teams of 5 per cent. Special arrangements should be made for the women employees on the Kanti Velugu duty.

The officials should take up tests for those who missed during the camp period. He said that steps were being taken to have 10 state level quality control teams and also one team per district. There is no shortage of staff in the district as the government would be taking up filling up 960 doctors posts within a week's time. He asked the officials to take up campaigns promoting the scheme and take the program effectively. "Chief Minister has set a target to ensure no one in the state is affected with eye problems and to fulfill that we have an important role to play. Let us strive to get Guinness Book of World Records," said Harish Rao.