PIB · Government of India ·

Armed Forces Medical Services Successfully Conducts 220 Sight-Restoring Surgeries in Tangdhar under Operation Drishti

Distilled Policy Brief

  • Under 'Operation Drishti', the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) successfully conducted 220 sight-restoring eye surgeries during a two-day mega eye surgery camp in Tangdhar, near the Line of Control in Kupwara, Jammu and Kashmir, on September 24-25, 2026.
  • The 10th edition of this camp primarily focused on cataract surgeries, alongside advanced procedures like vitreo-retinal interventions and micro-invasive glaucoma surgeries in a shelling-prone remote area.
  • Initiated under the guidance of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the broader AFMS eye surgery campaign has cumulatively screened over 1.5 lakh patients and performed more than 3,500 surgeries across 10 cities.

🎯 Prelims High-Yield Examination Points

Operation Drishti is an initiative of the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) aimed at providing advanced eye surgeries and healthcare outreach in remote, border, and conflict-prone areas such as Jammu and Kashmir.

⚖️ Mains Analytical & Syllabus Linkages

Evaluate the role of the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) in bridging healthcare gaps, promoting social integration, and delivering humanitarian assistance in remote border regions like the Line of Control (LoC).

🎯 UPSC Prelims Practice Drill

Social Justice & Schemes

Consider the following statements regarding 'Operation Drishti', recently seen in the news: 1. It is an initiative by the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) aimed at providing sight-restoring eye surgeries in remote and shelling-prone areas near the Line of Control. 2. The campaign exclusively conducts cataract surgeries and does not perform advanced procedures like vitreo-retinal interventions. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  • [A] 1 only
  • [B] 2 only
  • [C] Both 1 and 2
  • [D] Neither 1 nor 2
▶ Reveal Official Answer & Analytical Explanation
✓ Correct Option: [A] 1 only

Statement 1 is correct because Operation Drishti is an initiative by the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) that organized a mega eye surgery camp in Tangdhar near the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. Statement 2 is incorrect because while the majority of surgeries were related to cataracts, the camp also performed advanced procedures such as vitreo-retinal interventions and micro-invasive glaucoma surgeries.

Tark High-Yield Question Bank ⚡ Practice Full Test in Testing Arena ↗

🏛️ Historical Twin PYQ Anchor (2021)

UPSC Prelims 2021

Consider the following statements regarding the "National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)": 1. It is implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. 2. Central Pollution Control Board acts as the sole regulatory executive body.

Forensic Anchor: Cabinet Allocation of Business Rules & NCAP Framework
Examiner Trap Takeaway: UPSC swapped Central Pollution Control Board role with State Pollution Control Boards for state-level monitoring.

📚 Static Syllabus & Constitutional Linkages

Civic-Military Operations in Border Areas: Internal Security and Governance textbooks discussing the 'Hearts and Minds' doctrine and the developmental role of the Indian Armed Forces in border and insurgency-affected regions.