We are proud to announce our partnership with Odisha Skill Development Authority (OSDA), an organization of the Government of Odisha, India, for the local implementation of the Eye Mitra programme. Through this partnership over 300 young people will be trained to become primary vision care providers known as Eye Mitras who will provide affordable vision care for local communities.
By launching its flagship inclusive business model, Eye Mitra (friend of the eyes), in Odisha, Essilor’s inclusive business 2.5 New Vision Generation (2.5 NVG) and the Odisha Skill Development Authority (OSDA), will help young people to set up village-based businesses to detect vision problems and dispense affordable eyeglasses. The programme will improve the lives of rural communities by improving their sight and by creating work opportunities for under-employed or unemployed youth.
This partnership will not only give the citizens of Odisha access to good vision which will ultimately improve their life quality, it will also provide young men and women with training opportunities and the capacity to build a sustainable income.
The partnership between 2.5 NVG and OSDA was signed by Mr. Milind Jadhav, Head of 2.5 NVG India and Mr. Rajesh Patil, IAS, Director & CEO OSDA, on Apr 29th in Bhubaneswar. “I feel honored to sign this agreement with Essilor’s 2.5 New Vision Generation in the presence of our honorable Chief Minister of Odisha,” said Mr. Rajesh Patil, IAS, Director & CEO of OSDA. “This partnership will not only give the citizens of Odisha access to good vision which will ultimately improve their life quality, it will also provide young men and women with training opportunities and the capacity to build a sustainable income.”
We look forward to bringing the immediate benefits of eyeglasses to people in Odisha and at the same time creating work opportunities for young individuals.
Milind Jadhav, Head of 2.5 NVG India, commented: “We’re delighted to partner with the Government of Odisha to further our common goal of social and economic development in developing countries. Uncorrected poor vision affects 1 in 3 people in India impacting their ability to learn, work and be safe. In line with Essilor Group’s mission of improving lives by improving sight, 2.5 New Vision Generation is working to eliminate poor vision by raising awareness on the issue and creating access to vision care where it is needed most. We look forward to bringing the immediate benefits of eyeglasses to people in Odisha and at the same time creating work opportunities for young individuals.”
The partnership was signed in the presence of Hon’ble Chief Minister of Odisha Mr. Naveen Patnaik, Mrs. Usha Devi (Minister – Planning & Convergence, Skill Development & Technical Education), Mr. Subroto Bagchi (Chairman – OSDA), Mr. Sanjay Kumar Singh (Commissioner-Cum-Secretary) and Mr. Saugata Banerjee (Vice President, South & South East Asia – 2.5 NVG).
Uncorrected poor vision -the world’s most widespread unaddressed disability- affects 550 million Indians and $37bn is wasted in lost productivity as a result of uncorrected poor vision in India. This impact is felt acutely in rural areas where awareness and access to vision care is often poor. By the end of 2018 Essilor’s 2.5 NVG will have created 6,000 Eye Mitras across India to best serve the vision care needs of rural communities, making it the largest rural optical network in the world. To date the programme has provided more than 2.4 million pairs of affordable glasses to customers in rural India since its launch in 2013.