'Kanti Velugu' tests touched five lakh mark: Harish Rao

Siddipet: The 'Kanti Velugu' tests touched the five lakh mark on Thursday, Health Minister T Harish Rao stated there. Speaking to the media after inspecting the 'Kanti velugu' programme in Ekalavya Bhavan here, he said that many people were suffering from eye sight problems even as they did not bother about a minor problem. "This will turn a big issue. Hence Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rrao has taken up the "Kanti Velugu" programme with the slogan of blindness-free Telangana.It was progressing well.

The minister took a jibe at the Opposition saying that while the programme was brining tears to them people were happy/ He congratulated fellow ministers, legislators, chairnen of various corporations, ZPs and civic bodies, ZPTCS, MPTCs and other people's representatives for their participation in the programme. He said the aim of the programme was to make it the world's largest eye screening.

Rao pointed out that of the 50 lakh persons who underwent eye tests 16 lakh were found to be having problems. Wwhile some neglected treating it as a minor issue, others suffered as there was none to take them to hospital for undergoing tests. As many as 34 lakh were found to free of problems. As many as 935,512 were given reading glasses on the spot; 54,324 of the 649,505 referred for prescription glasses were given home delivery.

Rao asserted that the elderly men and women who underwent tests and got glasses were happy.

They feel that CM as their eldest son got their eye sight problems corrected", the ministers remarked.