23 March 2026·PIB

Update on NPCBVI

In this note

1. At a Glance

NPCBVI = National Programme for Control of Blindness & Visual Impairment, India's oldest centrally sponsored disease-control scheme on eye health [2][3].
Aims to reduce avoidable blindness prevalence to 0.25% by 2025; covers cataract, cornea, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, refractive errors [3].
March 2026 PIB update: 396 eye banks functional; cornea collections climbing — 62,370 (2022-23) → 66,434 (2023-24) → 69,848 (2024-25) [1].

23 March 2026 PIB release by Ministry of Health & Family Welfare reporting eye-bank network strength and three-year cornea collection trend [1].
Reinforces government claim of "steady growth" in corneal donations under NPCBVI's eye-banking vertical [1].

1976: Launched as National Programme for Control of Blindness (NPCB) — 100% Centrally Sponsored Scheme; original target: cut blindness prevalence from 1.4% → 0.3% [3].
2001-02 survey: prevalence estimated at 1.1% [3].
2017: Programme expanded to cover all visual impairment and renamed NPCBVI; revised goal 0.25% by 2025 [3].
2022-2025: Mission Mode Cataract Surgery campaign — "Netra Jyoti Abhiyan" to clear cataract backlog [2].

Implementing ministry: Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW), Directorate General of Health Services [1][3].
Type: Centrally Sponsored Scheme (originally 100% central; now cost-shared with States/UTs) [3].
Goal: Reduce avoidable blindness to 0.25% by 2025 [3].
Priority diseases: cataract, corneal blindness, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, childhood blindness, refractive errors [2].
Eye-banking support: financial assistance for infrastructure, equipment, training of ophthalmologists & eye-bank technicians, IEC, free supply of cornea storage medium to government eye banks [1][2].
Functional eye banks: 396 (as reported by States/UTs, March 2026) [1].
Cornea collection: 62,370 (FY23) → 66,434 (FY24) → 69,848 (FY25) [1].

Social / Health Equity

Corneal blindness disproportionately affects rural poor; eye-banking expansion targets supply-side gap [1].
Free cornea storage medium to government eye banks ensures public-sector capacity, not just private hospitals [2].

Administrative

Implementation through State/UT Health Societies, district-level mobile units, and partnerships with NGOs/private hospitals [1][2].
Data quality depends on State/UT reporting — number of functional eye banks is self-reported, a known weakness [1].

Scientific / Technological

Adds diabetic retinopathy screening as priority disease — reflects epidemiological transition to NCDs [2].
Cornea transplant capacity hinges on donor pool; India still imports tissue despite collection growth [1].

Governance / IEC

Mass-awareness campaigns timed with World Glaucoma Week, Eye Donation Fortnight, World Sight Day [2].

International Linkage

Aligns with WHO VISION 2020: Right to Sight; complements India's 2024 WHO certification for trachoma elimination as public-health problem [2].

23 March 2026 — PIB update: 396 eye banks; FY25 cornea collection 69,848 [1].
2024 — WHO declared India has eliminated trachoma as a public-health problem (linked NPCBVI vertical) [2].
2022-25 — "Netra Jyoti Abhiyan" mission-mode cataract backlog drive completed [2].

NPCB launched in 1976; renamed NPCBVI in 2017 [3].
Implementing ministry: MoHFW (not MoSJE, despite "disability" overlap) [1].
Revised goal: avoidable blindness prevalence to 0.25% by 2025 [3].
Number of functional eye banks (March 2026): 396 [1].
Cornea collected in 2024-25: 69,848 [1].
Netra Jyoti Abhiyan — mission-mode cataract drive (2022-25) [2].
Diabetic retinopathy is a priority disease under NPCBVI [2].
WHO certified India trachoma-free as public-health problem in 2024 [2].
Originally a 100% Centrally Sponsored Scheme [3].
Free supply item under scheme: cornea storage medium to government eye banks [2].
Annual IEC events: World Glaucoma Week, Eye Donation Fortnight, World Sight Day [2].

GS-II — Government policies & interventions in Health sector; issues relating to development & management of social sector/services.
GS-III — Science & Technology in health; achievements of Indians in S&T (transplantation medicine).
Question stems: 1. "Despite a five-decade-old programme, corneal blindness persists in India. Critically examine the structural gaps in NPCBVI's eye-banking vertical." 2. "Discuss the epidemiological transition reflected in the shift from NPCB (1976) to NPCBVI (2017)." 3. "Eye-donation in India remains supply-constrained. Suggest reforms drawing from international best practices."

WHO VISION 2020 / SDG 3 — global framework NPCBVI maps to.
Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994 — legal basis for cornea retrieval.
National Health Mission (NHM) — umbrella under which NPCBVI funds flow.
Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) — covers childhood visual screening.
Ayushman Bharat – HWCs — primary-level vision screening platform.
Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 — defines blindness/low vision.
WHO trachoma elimination (India, 2024) — adjacent eye-health win.
National NCD Programme — diabetic retinopathy overlap.

Confusing NPCB (1976) with NPCBVI (renamed 2017) — the "VI" addition is post-2017.
Wrong ministry: it is MoHFW, not Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment.
"Netra Jyoti Abhiyan" targets cataract backlog, not cornea.
Target year is 2025 at 0.25% — do not confuse with original 1976 target of 0.3%.
Eye-bank figures are State/UT-reported, not an independent audit.
NPCBVI is Centrally Sponsored, not Central Sector.