Lok Sabha Question No. 1225 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-02-09
Subject: Cases of Blindness
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Ashok Kumar Rawat

## GOVERNMENTOFINDIA MINISTRY OFHEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1225 TO BE ANSWERED ON 09.02.2024

## CASES OFBLINDNESS

## 1225. SHRI ASHOK KUMAR RAWAT

Will the Minister of HEALTHANDFAMILYWELFARE be pleased to state:

- a) Whether India is worst affected country in the world in terms of blindness and if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;
- b) the number of blind people particularly in rural areas of the country State/UT-wise;
- c) the details of the financial assistance provided to tackle the problem of blindness during the last three years till date, State/UT-wise; and
- d) the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to check the increasing problem of blindness in the country?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (PROF. S.P.SINGH BAGHEL)

- (a) & (b) As per the National Blindness and Visual Impairment survey 2007, the prevalence of blindness in the country was 1% in 2007. As per survey conducted in 2015-19, the prevalence of blindness in the country was 0.36% in 2019. 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:
- 1) Cataract (66.2%)
- 2) Corneal opacity (7.4%)
- 3) Cataract surgical complications (7.2%)
- 4) Posterior segment disorders excluding DR and ARMD (5.9%)
- 5) Glaucoma (5.5%).
- 6) Others (7.8%)

However, no survey has been conducted separately under National Programme for Control of Blindness and Visual Impairment (NPCBVI) to determine the number of blind people particularly in the rural areas.

(c) The financial assistance provided to tackle the problem of blindness during the last three years and current year, State/UT-wise is at Annexure.

(d) The Government of India implements 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 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.

Under NPCBVI, mission mode cataract surgery campaign has been launched with annual target of 75 lakhs cataract surgeries in 2022-23, 90 lakhs for 2023-24 and 105 lakhs cataract surgeries for 2024-25. The achievement in 2022-23 was 111% as 83.44 lakhs cataract surgery were performed against the target of 75 lakhs and 56.44 lakhs cataract surgery have been completed in 2023-24 till December. Further, under NPCBVI, cornea collection for keratoplasty is done with spectacles distribution.

Annexure State/UT wise SPIP Approvals under National Programme for Control of Blindness (NPCB) under NHMfrom F.Y. 2020-21 to 2023-24

Rs. in Lakhs

| S.No.   | Name of the State/UTs       | 2020-21       | 2021-22       | 2022-23       | 2023-24       |
|---------|-----------------------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
| S.No.   | Name of the State/UTs       | SPIP Approval | SPIP Approval | SPIP Approval | SPIP Approval |
| 1       | Andaman and Nicobar Islands | 26.82         | 24.78         | 22.00         | 20.50         |
| 2       | Andhra Pradesh              | 6814.50       | 9096.50       | 8704.50       | 7362.25       |
| 3       | Arunachal Pradesh           | 457.45        | 133.70        | 436.50        | 441.50        |
| 4       | Assam                       | 1384.56       | 930.15        | 898.84        | 899.19        |
| 5       | Bihar                       | 4400.08       | 3881.26       | 3903.00       | 4138.00       |
| 6       | Chandigarh                  | 4.00          | 42.45         | 48.05         | 48.55         |
| 7       | Chhattisgarh                | 1055.50       | 1502.11       | 2050.75       | 1810.75       |
| 8       | Dadra &Nagar Haveli         | 16.26         | 15.72         | 34.57         | 34.57         |
| 8       | Daman &Diu                  | 16.26         | 15.72         | 34.57         | 34.57         |
| 9       | Delhi                       | 362.80        | 402.80        | 542.25        | 341.25        |
| 10      | Goa                         | 101.90        | 113.90        | 150.40        | 150.40        |
| 11      | Gujarat                     | 3860.18       | 4315.72       | 5442.47       | 5131.55       |
| 12      | Haryana                     | 728.45        | 871.49        | 702.93        | 775.80        |
| 13      | Himachal Pradesh            | 219.60        | 170.41        | 299.50        | 323.00        |
| 14      | Jammu and Kashmir           | 449.60        | 940.00        | 511.59        | 710.50        |
| 15      | Jharkhand                   | 1745.00       | 1786.00       | 2598.56       | 2780.06       |
| 16      | Karnataka                   | 3127.54       | 3323.43       | 5761.13       | 5038.14       |
| 17      | Kerala                      | 1155.55       | 1303.38       | 2205.37       | 2203.84       |

|   18 | Ladakh         |    0.00 |   143.53 |   128.60 |   128.60 |
|------|----------------|---------|----------|----------|----------|
|   19 | Lakshadweep    |   31.93 |    51.26 |    41.81 |    43.9  |
|   20 | Madhya Pradesh | 4642.6  |  6400.47 |  6795.25 |  6745.25 |
|   21 | Maharashtra    |  802.15 |   872.03 |  4044.8  |  4915.8  |
|   22 | Manipur        |  342.95 |   452.98 |   432.75 |   432.75 |
|   23 | Meghalaya      |  115.2  |   200.21 |    98.17 |    87.45 |
|   24 | Mizoram        |  116.08 |   144.65 |   136.6  |   137.67 |
|   25 | Nagaland       |  109.7  |   127.1  |   140.28 |   140.39 |
|   26 | Odisha         | 2262.52 |  2112.13 |  3675.51 |  3647.75 |
|   27 | Puducherry     |   96.79 |   197.56 |   157.02 |   274.34 |
|   28 | Punjab         |  775.18 |   825.4  |   992    |   997    |
|   29 | Rajasthan      | 3933.05 |  4509.54 |  4741.97 |  4741.97 |
|   30 | Sikkim         |   56.25 |   110.75 |    97.75 |   107.53 |
|   31 | Tamil Nadu     | 6347.75 |  6312.03 |  6407    | 12814    |
|   32 | Telangana      | 1757.64 |  1125.7  |  1993.5  |  2049.75 |
|   33 | Tripura        |  450.75 |   308.14 |   542.03 |   500.79 |
|   34 | Uttar Pradesh  | 7190.5  | 12948.9  | 12488.6  | 18538.2  |
|   35 | Uttarakhand    |  462.83 |   161.72 |   951.05 |   932.99 |
|   36 | West Bengal    | 2688.77 |  4607.57 |  4910.96 |  5734.85 |

## Note:

The above data is as per the available Financial Management Reports (FMRs) reported by the States/UTs.