Budhendra Kumar Jain
An eye surgeon who helped turn a 12-bed dispensary in Chitrakoot into one of India's largest eye hospitals, honoured with the Padma Shri in 2025.
When Budhendra Kumar Jain arrived in Chitrakoot in 1974, the eye hospital he joined had twelve beds. Today it is among the largest in India. In 2025 he was named for the Padma Shri in the field of medicine, from Madhya Pradesh [1].
Joining the trust
Jain was born on 5 December 1948 and studied medicine in Rewa and Mumbai [2]. Inspired by the saint Ranchhoddasji Maharaj, he joined the Shri Sadguru Seva Sangh Trust at Chitrakoot in 1974 and today directs its Sadguru Netra Chikitsalaya [2].
Taking eye care to villages
He pioneered large rural eye camps and vision centres across Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh [2]. The hospital now runs more than 4,500 outreach camps and over 1.55 lakh eye operations a year [2]. The trust has carried out more than 31 lakh eye surgeries in all, and Jain himself has performed more than 1.5 lakh [2].
It has set up more than 130 primary eye-care centres, and its work has helped five districts clear their backlog of cataract cases [2]. The hospital is also recognised as a training centre by the International Council of Ophthalmology [2].
In 2023, the Indian Journal of Ophthalmology honoured him as a “living legend” of Indian ophthalmology [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2025: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 11 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2025: citation for Budhendra Kumar Jain — Padma Awards, Government of India. Accessed 11 October 2026.
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