In a major Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) outreach initiative, the Empowered Committee for Differently Abled Persons (ECDAP), University of Hyderabad (UoH), hosted a distribution event on July 25, 2026, where 100 visually impaired candidates received state-of-the-art Smart Vision Glasses (SVGs – Ultra Version), each valued at approximately ₹48,000.

The cutting-edge assistive devices enable individuals with visual impairments to instantly read written text across all major Indian languages and English, identify individuals and objects, recognize currency notes, and safely navigate obstacles while walking.

The 100 beneficiaries represented a broad socio-economic and national spectrum—including individuals from all walks of life who travelled from across Telangana, as well as students enrolled in major higher education institutions in Hyderabad hailing from states like Haryana, Odisha, and West Bengal.

The event was supported by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) under its CSR initiatives, implemented by the Blind Vision Foundation, Bengaluru, and manufactured by SHG Technology Private Limited, Bengaluru.

Prof. Pammi Pavan Kumar (Coordinator, ECDAP, UoH) highlighted the university’s unwavering resolve to advance accessibility, inclusion, and empowerment for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs)—particularly students with benchmark disabilities seeking higher education and career opportunities.

Key dignitaries present at the inaugural session included:

  • Prof. Sai Prasad, Co-coordinator, ECDAP, UoH
  • Sri N. Annavaram, Member, ECDAP, UoH
  • Mr. Gopi Krishna, Vice-President (CSR & Corporate Communications), Blind Vision Foundation
  • Mr. Navneet Kumar, Project Manager (Manufacturing & Operations), Blind Vision Foundation
  • Prof. Rajsekhar Veshwarapu, Director, Cell for the Disabled, English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU), Hyderabad

Welcoming the gathering, Prof. Sai Prasad noted that emerging technological innovations hold life-changing promise for PwDs in universal design. Sri N. Annavaram remarked on how rapid advancements in high-end gadgets like SVGs have revolutionized daily navigation and independence for visually impaired individuals.

Mr. Gopi Krishna delivered a comprehensive presentation and virtual demonstration detailing the feature set of the Ultra SVGs, while outlining the foundation’s mission to deliver tested, impactful innovations directly to users. Mr. Navneet Kumar provided technical insights into the development trajectory of assistive smart glasses, emphasizing that real-time user feedback serves as the backbone for continuous feature enhancements.

Concluding the inaugural session, event coordinator Sri N. Annavaram expressed gratitude to NPCI, the Blind Vision Foundation, the UoH administration, and the dedicated student volunteers whose tireless efforts ensured the smooth execution of this landmark initiative—marking it as one of the largest CSR outreach efforts hosted by UoH in recent years.