CM YS Jagan Launches 3rd Phase Of ‘‘YSR Kanti Velugu’ In Kurnool

Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, on Tuesday, launched the third phase of an eye screening program for the elderly ‘YSR Kanti Velugu’ in Kurnool.

The state government has also launched ‘Naadu-Nedu’, an ambitious program to renovate all government hospitals right from village sub-centers to teaching hospitals in three phases and improve infrastructure in the next three years.

A sum of Rs 15,335 crores would be spent on this massive program, Reddy said on the occasion. The targeted population is 56,88,424; the 60-plus age group will be covered in this phase of the program, under which interventions like primary eye screening, prescription of spectacles, the supply of essential medicines to needy patients, referral for cataract surgeries and referral for tertiary eye care management will be undertaken. The eye screening will be done at the village secretariats till July 31, 2020.

The Rs 560 crores ‘Kanti Velugu’ scheme was launched on October 10 last year to rectify the vision defects of over 12 crore people in the State. It will be implemented in six phases throughout the two-and-a-half-year. Under Phase-I, 66,15,467 students of 60,401 schools were covered. In the preliminary screening, 4,36,979 children were identified with eye problems. In the second phase, 1,34,252 children with vision defects were identified for distribution of spectacles, but so far only 56,767 were distributed while another 77,485 “are under process”, as information provided by the Chief Minister’s Office.

Phase-3 of the program will target 56.88 lakh people. In all, 500 teams from government and private eye hospitals have been identified to conduct the secondary eye screening in the villages.

Meanwhile, the Kurnool district authorities made elaborate arrangements for the program. CM Jagan is visiting the district for the first time after announcing Kurnool as the judicial capital of the State. YSRCP activists put up banners and posters in the city thanking the CM. They are also planning to form a human chain welcoming CM Jagan. After launching the eye-screening program, he is scheduled to perform ‘bhumi pooja’ for the construction of 402 health sub-centers with ₹100 crores. Over 1,000 police officers have been deployed for the public meeting and surveillance.