Drishti, an eye care chain focused on providing affordable treatment in under-served markets, is set to expand its reach to six more districts in Karnataka. The move ensues after a fresh infusion of funds from Nandan Nilekani, co-founder and former chief executive, Infosys.

Currently, Drishti operates in four districts in Karnataka: Bengaluru Rural, Chikkaballapur, Ramanagar and Chitradurga. According to the Bengaluru based eye-care chain, the fund infusion will not only boost the capacity of Drishti, but also provide much needed eye care services to underserved areas of Karnataka.

Nandan Nilekani’ Family Office, Entrust was involved in the investment consummation. “It is both an honour and privilege to partner with  Nilekani. This will help Drishti realise its goals to deliver quality eye care through eye hospitals, telemedicine supported vision centres and mobile eye clinics,” said Kiran Anandampillai, founder and CEO, Drishti.

Nandan Nilekani making the announcement said that providing affordable healthcare leveraging technology is a very critical issue. Drishti’s approach and its co-founders Kiran and Anjali have their heart in the right place, and want to build a sustainable business with high impact.

“This gesture is going to have a long term impact because Nilekani has affirmed his faith in utilizing innovative methods that include technology to benefit a large section of the population. “It would mean that by employing innovation we will be able to touch the lives of millions in the semi urban and rural areas,” said Anjali Joshi, co-founder, Drishti.

As per the National program for control of blindness, about 1% of India is affected by blindness and over 80% of that is from treatable conditions. “Drishti employs innovative approaches to reach those affected by these conditions and provide them treatment. As an impact organization, Drishti provides services to people of all economic segments, with a focus on those at the bottom of the economic pyramid,” Anandampillai informed.

Drishti was also shortlisted as a finalist in the 2015 ET startup awards in the social impact sector.

 Innovation and effective use of technology have been the core competencies of Drishti, which was seed funded by Lok Capital, one of India's leading impact investors.

Commenting on the transaction, Aditya Sharma, Director, Lok Capital said, “Drishti will benefit immensely from the vision and guidance of Nilekani, in businesses where innovation & execution are both critical, his insights will have far reaching implications”.

“This boost,” Joshi said, “will give us impetus to replicate the Drishti model in other states, and across India.”