Hyderabad: The first of its kind in India, a new universal eye screening programme was the highlight of the Independence Day celebrations in Telangana on Wednesday.
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao launched the statewide “Kanti Velugu” programme in the Malkapur village of Toopran in Medak district on Wednesday by inaugurating an eye camp and distributing spectacles.
Other public representatives inaugurated the programme in their respective constituencies.
Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister said the government was committed to ensure universal eye health in the state and all the 37 million people who will be covered by the programme, in all the 12,751 villages.
“There will be no need to spend a single rupee for any of the people,” he said.
Ruing that perceived differences along caste and communal lines were the biggest problem in the country he urged the people to remain united.
“Even the gender differences and discrimination is only in our country,” he said, pointing out that 90 per cent of the pilots in Russia were women.
Apart from screening, the government will provide spectacles, medicines, surgeries and other medical services free of cost.
The government has constituted 812 teams of doctors and other staff to conduct the eye camps.
Earlier in the morning KCR hoisted the national flag at the rampart of Golkonda Fort in Hyderabad and took salute of a ceremonial parade. Before reaching the fort he laid a wreath at Martyrs Memorial and paid his tributes.
Addressing the state on the occasion, KCR said in a very short span of time Telangana had earned national recognition with rapid strides in various sectors. He recalled that even Prime Minister Narendar Modi had praised the progress made by Telangana since its formation.
He listed free power supply to farmers, construction of numerous irrigation projects to ensure irrigation of 1 crore acres of land in the state and Inurance for the farmers as the major achievements of his government.
