In an ambitious effort to combat preventable blindness, the Netra Kumbh 2025 initiative was launched during the Maha Kumbh and it will run through 26 February 2025, at Prayagraj. This large-scale humanitarian project aims to provide free comprehensive eye care services to hundreds of thousands of individuals across India.
The campaign has set unprecedented targets, including conducting 500,000 eye tests, distributing 300,000 spectacles, and performing 50,000 free eye operations with the support of 500 eye specialists. This marks a significant scaling up from their 2019 achievement of serving over 200,000 devotees.
Netra Kumbh’s mission addresses a critical health crisis in India, where more than 12.5 million people are visually impaired, many due to preventable causes. The initiative aligns with multiple United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Sustainable Development Goals, including Good Health & Well-Being, Gender Equality, and Reduced Inequalities.
The project’s implementation follows a carefully planned roadmap that began with its ideation phase on 15 August 2024, followed by a groundbreaking ceremony (Bhumi Pujan) on 28 September 2024. The initiative offers a comprehensive range of services including free eye check-ups, medicine distribution, spectacles, and surgical interventions.
*महाकुँभ मेले में कैसी कैसी जन सुविधायें उपलब्ध हैं पर मीडिया में चर्चा तक नही।* pic.twitter.com/K6gQWl5K9E
— 🇮🇳Jitendra pratap singh🇮🇳 (@jpsin1) February 7, 2025
To ensure widespread impact, Netra Kumbh has established multiple coordination centers across India. The main center is located in Prayagraj at Vajpayee Dental Hospital, with additional offices in Nagpur and Noida. The initiative is actively recruiting volunteers, doctors, hospitals, and optometrists to support its ambitious goals.
Despite challenges posed by the pandemic during their 2021 campaign, the organization successfully provided critical eye care to tens of thousands of patients. Building on this resilience, Netra Kumbh 2025 aims to create a sustainable impact by facilitating surgeries near patients’ home locations, extending their reach beyond the event period.
The initiative welcomes public participation through various channels, including volunteer opportunities and donations. Interested medical professionals, institutions, and volunteers can register through their official channels.
Netra Kumbh 2025 represents one of the world’s largest coordinated efforts to address preventable blindness, combining medical expertise with humanitarian service. The project exemplifies a significant step toward the organization’s vision of creating a corneal blindness-free India.
(With inputs from Netrakumbh.org)
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