Saran (Bihar) [India], May 17 (ANI): Gautam Adani, Chairman of the Adani Group, today led the ground-breaking ceremony for a landmark Rs 150 crore vision care initiative, rooted in his philosophy of 'Seva Hi Saadhna Hai' (service is the highest form of worship).

He made this announcement in Mastichak, about 70 kilometres from Patna, to create one of the world's largest rural eye care ecosystems with capacity for 3.3 lakh eye surgeries annually while training 1,000 eye health professionals every year.

The initiative seeks to strengthen affordable eye treatment, rural outreach and vision care-skilling while bringing dignity, hope and the gift of sight to underserved communities across the Hindi heartland.

In a post on X, Gautam Adani said 'Seva Hi Sadhaana Hai' is not merely a slogan, but a guiding philosophy that must translate compassion into lasting institutions for society.

'Restoring sight is not merely a medical intervention. It is about returning hope, confidence and dignity to a human life,' he wrote. Calling Bihar 'a land that has historically given new consciousness and direction to the nation', he added that the newly-created trust, 'Adani Akhand Jyoti Foundation', would seek to take the spirit of service born in Bihar to underserved communities across India.

The Adani Foundation, the social welfare and development arm of the Adani Group, will financially support the Adani Centre for Eye (ACE) and Adani Training in Ophthalmic Medicine (ATOM) in Mastichak, in partnership with Akhand Jyoti Foundation, a leading rural eye care institution based in Bihar.

ACE will serve as an advanced treatment and surgical facility focused on affordable care, complex procedures and large-scale rural outreach, while ATOM will focus on training optometrists, ophthalmic assistants and community healthcare workers to strengthen India's rural healthcare workforce.

A ceremonial flag off was done for a fleet of 10 patient transport buses under the ACE banner to symbolise the start of last-mile vision care access across remote villages in Bihar and adjoining regions.

Gautam Adani was joined by Dr Priti Adani, Chairperson - Adani Foundation and Mritunjay Tiwary, Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Executive Trustee - Akhand Jyoti Eye Hospital, in the ground-breaking ceremony.

Tiwary described the collaboration with the Adani Foundation as a shared commitment to expanding affordable and accessible eye care for underserved communities across India.

'I express my heartfelt gratitude to Gautam Adani-ji for placing trust in Akhand Jyoti Eye Hospital and choosing us as a partner in this transformative journey. This partnership is far beyond the creation of infrastructure. It is a shared commitment towards restoring sight, dignity, opportunity and hope for countless people living in the last-mile and underserved regions of India. Together, we believe this collaboration will create an exponential and lasting impact on millions of lives in the years ahead,' he said.

Additionally, the Adani Foundation announced plans to establish a 200-bed hospital in Pirpainti, in Bihar's Bhagalpur district, near the Adani Group's upcoming 2,400 MW ultra-supercritical thermal power plant. The hospital aims to further strengthen affordable healthcare access while extending the benefits of community outreach and treatment to larger parts of eastern Bihar.

To take the transformative work of Akhand Jyoti Foundation beyond Bihar and into underserved regions across India, Gautam Adani also announced a personal commitment of Rs 500 crore and the establishment of the 'Adani Akhand Jyoti Foundation' to scale this long-term humanitarian and community healthcare mission across the country.

The total investment outlay for the pioneering initiatives, including operational expenditure (opex), will exceed Rs 700 crore.

This initiative in Bihar reflects Gautam Adani's belief that nation-building must be anchored in compassion, service and long-term social investment. In 2022, on his 60th birthday, the Adani family announced a Rs 60,000 crore commitment towards healthcare, education and skill development, followed by an additional Rs 10,000 crore social commitment during the wedding celebrations of Jeet Adani, younger son of Gautam Adani, last year.

Since 2022, the Group has expanded its seva-led outreach through large-scale initiatives, including supporting nearly 50 lakh pilgrims during the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj in 2025 and distributing nearly 40 lakh free meals and liquid refreshments during the Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra in Puri, Odisha, in the same year.

This initiative underscores the Adani Group's growing commitment to Bihar, where it has emerged as one of the largest private sector investors in the state, with cumulative investments and planned commitments up to Rs 40,000 crore.

These investments include a 2,400 MW ultra-supercritical thermal power plant in Pirpainti, involving nearly Rs 27,000 crore, representing the largest private sector investment in Bihar.

Through Indian Oil Adani Gas Private Limited, the Group is developing city gas distribution networks in Gaya and Nalanda districts, while Adani Energy Solutions Limited is modernising electricity distribution infrastructure across northern Bihar through the installation of nearly 30 lakh smart meters. The Group is also expanding its cement manufacturing footprint through two 6 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) grinding units in Nawada and Muzaffarpur districts involving combined investments of nearly Rs 3,000 crore.

Established in 2005 as a 30-bed facility in rural Bihar, Akhand Jyoti Eye Hospital has evolved into one of India's leading eye care institutions, having conducted more than 14 lakh sight-restoring surgeries and millions of screenings and outreach consultations.

The collaboration also aligns with the Government of India's National Programme for Control of Blindness and Visual Impairment (NPCBVI), launched in 1976 as a centrally-sponsored scheme, and seeks to create a scalable, community-driven model for affordable eye care delivery.

The initiative further builds on the expanding Vision Care Programme of the Adani Foundation, which completes 30 years of community service this August. Since its launch in 2024, the Vision Care Programme has conducted 1.93 lakh eye screenings and supported 59,000 beneficiaries with prescription eyeglasses through rural outreach, screenings in school and referral support across 11 states in India. (ANI)