Lanjigarh: Vedanta Limited, Lanjigarh has signed a MoU with a trust, Royal Commonwealth Society for the Blind (Sightsavers India) on 30th January for undertaking School Eye-Health Programme in Kalahandi district. It was signed off on behalf of Vedanta and Sightsavers India by Mr. Sanjeev Kumar – Head Operations, Vedanta Limited, Lanjigarh and Mr. R. N. Mohanty – CEO, Sightsavers India respectively, in the Chamber of Collector-Kalahandi in presence of Mr. Anjan Kumar Manik, I.A.S., Collector & District Magistrate, Kalahandi and other senior Government officials.
As a part of this endeavour, Vedanta will support Sightsavers India in conducting school eye screening for over 40,000 children who are studying in Govt. schools in Lanjigarh and Junagarh block of Kalahandi district. This is a first-of-its-kind School Eye-health Programme organized in Western Odisha which will cover all the Govt. schools in the region. Through this programme, every school would be provided a scientific primary eye screening kit; one teacher from every school will be trained on primary eye screening and Master Trainers will be developed at the district level for overall programme management. Besides this, the programme will dispense free quality spectacles for identified students having refractive error issues and develop 5 ‘Model best eye health practising schools’ in the block for the awareness and preventive aspects of blindness among the children.
Appreciating the effort, Mr. Anjan Kumar Manik, I.A.S Collector & District Magistrate, Kalahandi said that this unique programme will help the district in reaching to a critical age group of children who often face difficulties in their education and overall development because of sight related problems. This programme will not only help individual children having vision related issues but also in the overall achievement of the school fulfilling the mandates of Universal Eye Health initiative launched by the State Govt.
Speaking on the occasion Mr. Sanjeev Kumar, Head of Operations said “This new programme supported by Vedanta will benefit a large number of children in the district having avoidable blindness issues and subsequently help them in pursuing their dreams without inhibitions”.
Sightsavers has already been supporting the Junagarh Eye Hospital. It has provided human resource and essential ophthalmic equipment support to Kalahandi District Head Quarter Hospital’s Eye Dept. and CHC level ophthalmic facilities.
The MOU signing event was attended by Ms. Harmeet Sehra – Head CSR and Mr. Rajeev Ranjan – Head Security from Vedanta Lanjigarh, CDMO, Kalahandi, DPC-SSA, Mr. Supratim Sahoo from Sightsavers, Mr. Harish Singh & Dr. Devendra Kuma Sahoo from LEPRA Society and other officials from the district administration.
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