By Fr George Kannanthanam | Founder - Director
The Deputy Chief Minister of India’s southern state of Karnataka, Dr. G. Parameshwara, inaugurated Project Vision Eye Care Campus at Arasapura, Tumkur district near Bengaluru on June 23, Sunday.
Inaugurating the novel initiative, Dr Parameswar said, “I have pledged my eyes. When I die, my eyes will not go to the soil. It will give sight to two blind persons”. He expressed the hope that more people would come forward to donate their eyes with Project Vision, an initiative of the Claretian Fathers working for eye donation and eye care. Visually challenged child prodigy Ms Fathima Anshi also joined the inaugural ceremony.
Fr Jacob Arackal, CMF, Provincial of the Bangalore Province of the Claretians leading a prayer session prior to the inauguration.
Dr Parameswar also inaugurated a Project Vision Eye Care Clinic at the campus to provide eye care services for the rural poor. He also flagged off the ambulance for the Project Vision outreach programme.
Through the Ambulance service, Project Vision has plans to provide eye care facilities for the villages in Korategere, Madugiri and Gauribidanur Taluks in Karnataka. Project Vision Eye Care Campus is situated at Kasapura Gate, Arasapura Panchayath, Korategere Taluk, Tumkur district, about 100 kilometres from Bangalore.
Karnataka’s Deputy Chief Minister Dr. G. Parameshwara flagging off the ambulance service
Dr Rakesh Kumar, Deputy Commissioner of Tumkur District and Mr Vamshi, Superintendent of Police, also attended the programme. Hanumakka Rangaiah, Panchayat President, was also present at the inaugural function which was attended by people from villages around.
Project Vision was started in 2013 by Fr George Kannanthanam, a Claretian priest and a social worker to give sight to the blind and to help the blind persons to live a meaningful life. “The eye donation movement led by Project Vision in Bangalore has motivated about 500,000 persons to pledge to donate their eyes so far,” said Fr Kannanthanam. Sight has already been given to about 300 persons through corneal transplant.
“India has one third of the world’s 39 million blind population. Only 30,000 persons out of the nine million people, who died last year, donated their eyes. The motto of Project Vision is ‘Let Everyone See'”, added Fr Kannanthanam.
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