Lok Sabha Question No. 4890 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-31
Subject: Cases of Blindness
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: C.N. Annadurai, Arun Kumar Sagar

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.4890 TO BE ANSWERED ON 31 ST  MARCH, 2023

## CASES OF BLINDNESS

## 4890.  SHRI C.N ANNADURAI SHRI ARUN KUMAR SAGAR

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE pleased to state:

- (a) Whether India is the worst affected country in the world by blindness and if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;
- (b) the  estimated  number  of  blind  people  in  the  country  particularly  in  rural  and  backward areas, State/UT-wise;
- (c) The  scheme  being  implemented  by  the  Government  to  control  blindness  indicating  the funds allocated and spent for the purpose during each of the last three years and the current year, State/UT-wise, particularly in Tamil Nadu;
- (d) the steps taken or proposed to be taken to check the growing problem of blindness in the country;
- (e) Whether the Government has assessed the requirement of optometrists and donated eye to prevent blindness in the country, if so, the details and the outcome thereof; and
- (f) Whether it is fact that donated eyes are reportedly left unused/wasted in Government eye banks/hospital across the country, if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (DR.BHARATI PRAVIN PAWAR)

- (a) to (f) : As per the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Data on Visual Impairments 2010, China accounts for 20.9% and India 20.5% of the total blindness in the classified 6 WHO regions in the world.

As per the Rapid Assessment of Avoidable Blindness (2015-19) about 4.8 million people are affected by the blindness in the country including the rural areas.

The number of blind persons in India is high due to increase in ageing population and semi tropical  location  of  the  country,  lack  of  public  awareness,    and  economic  constraints  etc. The main causes of blindness in India are as under:

-  Cataract (66.2%)
-  Corneal opacity (7.4%)
-  Cataract surgical complications (7.2%)
-  Posterior segment disorders excluding DR and ARMD (5.9%)
-  Glaucoma (5.5%).

Government of India implements National Programme for Control of Blindness and visual impairment  (NPCBVI),  a  centrally sponsored programme,  addressing all causes of blindness throughout the Country uniformly. Apart from cataract, refractive errors, corneal blindness  and  childhood  blindness,  the  programme  equally  focuses  on  other  eye  diseases like glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP), age related macular degeneration etc. associated with life style diseases like diabetes and aging process.

The  funds  approved  under  the  State  Programme  Implementation  Plan  (SPIP)  and  spent during each of the last three years, State/UT-wise are at Annexure-I.

As  per  NPCBVI  programme  norms,  Paramedical  Ophthalmic  Assistant  (Ophthalmic Assistant/Technician/Optometric/Ophthalmic Nurse) are the manpower provisioned in the area of eye care in the States/UTs.

The Government has evaluated the need for non-trachomatous corneal opacity in the age group more than 50 years to be 7.4%. Quality of collected corneas, age of donor and preexisting  degeneration/diseases,  determine  the  suitability  of  cornea  transplantation.  Only Healthy corneas are utilized for corneal transplantation to restore the vision of corneal blind.

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## Annexure I

## State/UT wise SPIP Approvals and Expenditure under National Programme for Control of Blindness (NPCB) under NHM from F.Y. 2019-20 to 2022-23

|       |                           |               |             | 2020-21       | 2020-21     | 2021-22       | 2021-22     | Rs. in Lakhs   | Rs. in Lakhs   |
|-------|---------------------------|---------------|-------------|---------------|-------------|---------------|-------------|----------------|----------------|
| S.No. | State/UTs                 | SPIP Approval | Expenditure | SPIP Approval | Expenditure | SPIP Approval | Expenditure | SPIP Approval  | Expenditure    |
| 1     | Andaman & Nicobar Islands | 13.79         | 10.35       | 26.82         | 0.59        | 24.78         | 2.39        | 22.00          | 0.93           |
| 2     | Andhra Pradesh            | 6022.04       | 4696.90     | 6814.50       | 1666.35     | 9096.50       | 3428.15     | 8704.50        | 1266.26        |
| 3     | Arunachal Pradesh         | 596.10        | 0.00        | 457.45        | 22.63       | 133.70        | 226.53      | 436.50         | 34.21          |
| 4     | Assam                     | 1218.85       | 517.18      | 1384.56       | 328.14      | 930.15        | 513.35      | 898.84         | 191.35         |
| 5     | Bihar                     | 3504.95       | 1460.77     | 4400.08       | 941.96      | 3881.26       | 1693.44     | 3903.00        | 1560.38        |
| 6     | Chandigarh                | 3.50          | 0.00        | 4.00          | 0.00        | 42.45         | 2.94        | 48.05          | 1.23           |
| 7     | Chattisgarh               | 673.00        | 472.07      | 1055.50       | 237.82      | 1502.11       | 774.39      | 2050.75        | 519.04         |
| 8     | Dadra& Nagar Haveli       | 16.20         | 12.03       | 16.26         | 0.01        | 15.72         | 11.09       | 34.57          | 3.22           |
| 8     | Daman& Diu                | 10.49         | 1.28        | 16.26         | 0.01        | 15.72         | 11.09       | 34.57          | 3.22           |
| 9     | Delhi                     | 727.70        | 113.37      | 362.80        | 77.03       | 402.80        | 40.17       | 542.25         | 47.42          |
| 10    | Goa                       | 94.90         | 73.71       | 101.90        | 26.68       | 113.90        | 87.59       | 150.40         | 32.09          |
| 11    | Gujarat                   | 4264.04       | 2246.30     | 3860.18       | 4217.06     | 4315.72       | 2920.15     | 5442.47        | 1377.94        |
| 12    | Haryana                   | 451.85        | 178.80      | 728.45        | 255.48      | 871.49        | 421.26      | 702.93         | 253.62         |
| 13    | Himachal Pradesh          | 160.63        | 107.19      | 219.60        | 34.54       | 170.41        | 94.13       | 299.50         | 22.40          |
| 14    | Jammu & Kashmir           | 484.95        | 247.28      | 449.60        | 78.10       | 940.00        | 313.36      | 511.59         | 93.40          |
| 15    | Jharkhand                 | 8429.68       | 700.99      | 1745.00       | 765.08      | 1786.00       | 916.34      | 2598.56        | 531.69         |
| 16    | Karnataka                 | 2963.23       | 2767.61     | 3127.54       | 820.31      | 3323.43       | 2326.41     | 5761.13        | 900.51         |

| 17    | Kerala         | 2200.10   | 722.63   | 1155.55   | 845.12   | 1303.38   | 518.31   | 2205.37   | 471.49   |
|-------|----------------|-----------|----------|-----------|----------|-----------|----------|-----------|----------|
| 18    | Ladakh         | -         | 0.00     | 0.00      | 1.85     | 143.53    | 42.12    | 128.60    | 2.81     |
| 19    | Lakshadweep    | 18.00     | 16.00    | 31.93     | 0.39     | 51.26     | 5.59     | 41.81     | 3.57     |
| 20    | Madhya Pradesh | 5271.55   | 4884.90  | 4642.60   | 2631.70  | 6400.47   | 5599.67  | 6795.25   | 3401.91  |
| 21    | Maharashtra    | 2016.90   | 706.00   | 802.15    | 322.10   | 872.03    | 787.94   | 4044.80   | 187.36   |
| 22    | Manipur        | 298.00    | 283.88   | 342.95    | 0.00     | 452.98    | 0.00     | 432.75    | 63.21    |
| 23    | Meghalaya      | 47.00     | 49.27    | 115.20    | 126.80   | 200.21    | 216.44   | 98.17     | 52.36    |
| 24    | Mizoram        | 142.65    | 62.08    | 116.08    | 51.67    | 144.65    | 87.44    | 136.60    | 38.81    |
| 25    | Nagaland       | 233.30    | 65.46    | 109.70    | 0.05     | 127.10    | 39.97    | 140.28    | 18.45    |
| 26    | Odisha         | 3177.62   | 1462.74  | 2262.52   | 652.87   | 2112.13   | 1269.32  | 3675.51   | 681.00   |
| 27    | Puducherry     | 95.59     | 41.93    | 96.79     | 31.40    | 197.56    | 64.70    | 157.02    | 25.61    |
| 28    | Punjab         | 1968.95   | 559.45   | 775.18    | 235.67   | 825.40    | 420.98   | 992.00    | 0.00     |
| 29    | Rajasthan      | 3836.60   | 1249.72  | 3933.05   | 1308.70  | 4509.54   | 1601.58  | 4741.97   | 1153.64  |
| 30    | Sikkim         | 23.40     | 13.64    | 56.25     | 0.00     | 110.75    | 39.04    | 97.75     | 18.87    |
| 31    | Tamil Nadu     | 6441.35   | 3402.14  | 6347.75   | 1228.75  | 6312.03   | 4298.80  | 6407.00   | 3075.86  |
| 32    | Telangana      | 1347.00   | 1042.23  | 1757.64   | 1019.10  | 1125.70   | 431.29   | 1993.50   | 1055.04  |
| 33    | Tripura        | 76.00     | 35.94    | 450.75    | 35.75    | 308.14    | 359.54   | 542.03    | 38.92    |
| 34    | Uttar Pradesh  | 8164.66   | 3157.81  | 7190.50   | 2719.70  | 12948.87  | 2057.22  | 12488.61  | 2547.64  |
| 35    | Uttarakhand    | 394.62    | 204.16   | 462.83    | 180.31   | 161.72    | 334.70   | 951.05    | 126.67   |
| 36    | West Bengal    | 2115.70   | 1598.27  | 2688.77   | 1878.64  | 4607.57   | 3142.99  | 4910.96   | 3115.30  |
| Note: |                |           |          |           |          |           |          |           |          |