ONGC Joins Hands with Ekjyot Charitable Foundation in Combating Preventable Blindness with Mass Cataract Removals in Punjab & Rajasthan states
Vision is not a privilege—but a fundamental human right. This is the belief that we shared at The Ekjyot Charitable Foundation. For nearly 20 years & counting, our foundation has been the catalyst in restoring vision at a mass scale by combating preventable eye diseases like cataracts in north India. Our teams specialize in quick deployment and setting up logistical and medical equipment for battling preventable blindness. We offer free eye screening and cataract (Motiyabind) surgeries to those who need it most but unfortunately cannot afford it.
The top multinational company, Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), has chosen us to fund our latest project under their CSR initiative. The ambitious project is titled Combat Preventable Blindness—Bringing the Gift of Sight to low-income and underserved populations across the rural landscapes of Punjab and Rajasthan.
The project mandate seeks to undertake 4000 cataract surgeries within 4 months, ending 31st of March 2025. The target regions under this project are often overlooked and underserved. Our foundation is determined to overcome the unique challenges of meeting this deadline. Our multiple clinical and surgical units work in tandem in remote and rugged parts of Punjab & Rajasthan& impact as many lives as mandated under this flagship CSR project of ONGC.
Three top cataract surgeons lead our free eye camp units deployed in Punjab and Rajasthan. Between the three of them, they have operated on patients’ lacs and restored their vision with cataract removals. Dr. Sanjeev Duggal, Dr. Manpreet Singh, and Dr. Kashish Gupta are three synonym names with free cataract clinics in the Punjab region. Together, they set up a dedicated network of eye hospitals in Punjab named Ekjyot Eye Hospitals. This dedicated chain of eye hospitals offers its services to low-income groups with a mandate to subsidize quality eye treatments for marginalized and underserved segments.
A Snapshot of Lives Impacted under this CSR project
By the first week of February, over 400 cataract surgeries had already been done in 17 camps. Thousands of people were screened during this period in some of the most remote and underserved regions of Punjab and Rajasthan. Hundreds of cataract surgeries have been performed, and our field units are making significant strides in the fight against preventable blindness. Each milestone brings us closer to a future where quality eye care is accessible to everyone regardless of socioeconomic status. Financial support and collaboration by ONGC fuelled this ambitious project, which is one of the bright feathers in their CSR initiatives.
Join our fight against preventable blindness, as every Indian deserves the gift of sight.