New Delhi, January 05, 2024: Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Company Limited (Chola), the financial services arm of the Murugappa Group, is dedicated to empowering differently-abled individuals through two major initiatives. These include financial support for lathe machines at WORTH Trust’s Technical Training Centre (WTTTC), Trichy, and a vision centre under the Rural Eye Health Project in Aurangabad, Bihar.
WORTH Trust’s Technical Training Centre (WTTTC) in Trichy provides training in Light Engineering for students with disabilities, preparing them for examinations administered by the Government of India's National Council for Vocational Trades (NCVT). Chola's financial support for new lathe machines at the training centre will benefit 120+ students, enhancing vocational life skills and contributing to the creation of livelihood opportunities for differently-abled individuals.
Chola further emphasizes its commitment to rural India's upliftment through The Rural Eye Health Project in Aurangabad, Bihar. The project aims to reduce prevailing blindness in the district to 0.3% within the next five years, establishing a sustainable eye health system. The project includes the establishment of Vision Centres at the block level, equipped with eye screening facilities and skilled eyecare professionals, including Optometrists and Community Health Workers (CHWs).
Mr. Ravindra Kundu, Executive Director of Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Company Limited said, "Chola Finance is focussed towards helping India achieve its Sustainable Development Goals. As a part of nation building, we are committed towards uplifting the disabled and physically challenged in rural India with technological and medical resources driving and inspiring positive change. The initiatives mentioned are specifically designed for empowering the differently abled students of WORTH Trust’s Technical Training Centre in Trichy and in minimising the prevailing blindness in Aurangabad, Bihar, fostering the community awareness of eye health and creating a resilient society where everyone has an opportunity to shape a brighter future.”
Community outreach camps will be organized in remote locations to offer door-to-door eye screening services, enhancing awareness about the importance of eye health services. Following examinations at the vision centres, individuals diagnosed with refractive errors can receive suitable spectacles or prescriptions, and those with advanced issues, like cataracts, will be referred to nearby partner hospitals for necessary surgical interventions. Chola's initiatives aim to make a meaningful impact on disability support and eye health in rural India.