Professor Dr Rajkumari Vidyarani, head of the Department of Ophthalmology at Jawaharlal Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal, has been named the recipient of the ACOIN National Lady of the Year 2025 award for her work in community eye‑health care across the Indian subcontinent.
The award will be presented at ACOIN’s Silver Jubilee 2026, the 25th International Assembly of Community Ophthalmologists and the 16th Annual Conference. The event will take place at the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre in New Town, Kolkata, from 24 to 27 September.
ACOIN, a platform that evolved from the dissolved Indian Alumni Group of the International Centre for Eye Health in London, counts more than 1,600 members worldwide. The association promotes community eye‑health services through initiatives such as the Community Eye Health Model for a Positive Eye Health Care Movement, the Drishti Ratha Yatra, and programmes focused on awareness, blindness prevention and access to care. It has also decentralised activities across states including Manipur, Nagaland, Assam, Tripura, Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Uttarakhand and Meghalaya.
The Kolkata conference is expected to gather ophthalmologists from India and abroad. Former President of India Ram Nath Kovind has been invited as Guest‑in‑Chief, while former President of Nepal Dr Ram Baran Yadav will be Guest of Honour. West Bengal health minister Dr Sharodwat Mukhopadhyaya is also among the distinguished guests. Dr Vidyarani is married to Ukhrul MLA Ram Muivah.
