- The Rajasthan Government implemented the Blindness Control Policy on 13th January. Rajasthan is the ‘first state’ in the country to implement this policy with the objective of ‘right to sight vision’.
- Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has taken an innovative initiative in the direction of realizing the vision of Nirogi Rajasthan in the state.
- The Department of Medical and Health, on the direction of the Chief Minister, released the policy document for the prevention of blindness.
- It is aimed to bring light to the lives of more than three lakh people suffering from visual impairment in the state.
- The prevalence rate of blindness in the country was 1.1 percent in 2020 and work would be done to bring it down to 0.3 percent through the blindness control policy.
- Under the blindness control policy of the state government, keratoplasty centers and eye banks will compulsorily be operated in all government medical colleges.
- Cornea collected by private organizations and NGOs receiving financial assistance under this policy will be made available to government institutions on priority.
- A large-scale campaign for eye donation will be launched by taking private organizations along.
- Special training will be given to eye specialists, eye surgeons, postgraduate students, counselors, and eye assistants working for eye donation.
Rajasthan becomes the first state to implement a blindness control policy
