Hyderabad: Health and Finance minister, T Harish Rao on Tuesday expressed his vision of the state government’s programme, ‘Kanti Velugu’ to enter the Guinness Book of World Records.
While conducting a review meeting on the second phase of the ‘Kanti Velugu scheme’ with collectors and other officials of all districts virtually from Jagtiyal, Harish Rao urged officials of all departments and public representatives to work hard for achieving the world record target.
Harish Rao also examined arrangements for chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao’s tour scheduled in Jagtiyal on Wednesday.
To work towards ‘avoidable blindness-free Telangana’, the state government has decided to take up universal eye screening by covering the entire population of the state under the name ‘Kanti Velugu’.
Clarifying remarks on the scarcity of doctors for the successful implementation of Kanti Velugu, Harish Rao made it clear that there won’t be any shortfall of doctors as they will be recruiting 960 doctors within a week.
Harish Rao, while speaking in the meeting, instructed officials to take all the necessary steps to make the second phase of the Kanti Velugu programme which is aimed at the ‘benefit of the poor.’
Advising officials on cooperation with public representatives, the minister urged the involvement of MPs, MLAs, MLCs, and representatives of local bodies in the programme.
While the first phase of Kanti Velugu continued for eight months, the second phase has to be completed in hundred working days, he said.
The number of testing teams has also been enhanced to 1,500 from 827 for the success of the programme, he added.
People in need would be provided glasses free of cost by conducting eye tests across the state by supplying 30 lakh reading and 25 lakh prescription glasses, he informed while instructing officials to complete the processes of shifting the glasses to districts before starting the programme.
The minister directed the distribution of prescription glasses to be completed within one month of eye testing and added that the government is set to give anything for the scheme’s success.
Collectors, district medical and health officers, and officials of other departments should coordinate with each other and ensure that the programme becomes successful, stressed Harish Rao.
Emphasizing the need for publicity about the programme at the village, Mandal and district levels, he directed the officials to discuss the Kanti Velugu scheme in Mandal Parishad, Zilla Parishad and municipal meetings.
After completion of district micro planning, district in-charge ministers should conduct meetings with district public representatives and finalise dates to conduct eye testing camps in their respective districts, he added.
Instructing officials to keep ready five percent buffer teams (advance teams) to avoid a shortfall of staff, Harish Rao asked the authorities to make special arrangements for women staff.
Besides ten state-level quality control teams, district-level quality control teams would also be formed in every district to check the quality of eye testing. Special arrangements would also be made to conduct tests for the people, who failed to attend camps, the minister informed.
While Medical and Health chief secretary, Rizvi participated in the review from Hyderabad, commissioner, Swetha, public health director, Srinivas, and additional collector, Manda Makarand from Jagtial participated in the meeting.
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