Govt, society should work together against blindness: Sharma

Terming blindness a matter of concern, Madhya Pradesh Assembly Speaker Dr Sitasharan Sharma here today said that both government and society should work seriously to address the problem.
"A total of 4.5 crore people in the country are blind. Every year with the rise in population, nearly 10 lakh people get added to this figure. Blindness is a matter of concern and government and the society should work seriously towards reducing it," Sharma said during a programme organised by 'Rashtriya Netra Suraksha Sansthan'.
On the occasion, Chandigarh-based Dr Vinod Kumar was given tenth Dr MC Nahata award.
Madhya Pradesh Health Minister Dr Narottam Mishra recalled the services of Dr Nahata, especially in the tribal areas of the region.

Rajya Sabha member Meghraj Jain lauded the efforts of the Sansthan and suggested that government should associate itself with this institution. He also demanded to declare a day as Netra Suraksha Diwas and observe it every year to raise awareness on the issue of blindness.
Dr Nahata said that every year only 45,000 people donate their eyes and urged more people to go for this noble cause and make it a people's movement.