CM Vijay to Launch ₹755.83-Crore Gold Ring Scheme for Newborns

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay will launch the Thaaimaman Thanga Mothiram Thittam, a welfare scheme providing one-gram gold rings to newborns delivered at government hospitals, in Madurai on Monday.

Vijay will launch the scheme at the Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) auditorium and present gold rings to 25 newborns. He is also scheduled to visit the maternity ward and personally hand over rings to infants born at the hospital.

Under the scheme, each eligible newborn delivered at a government hospital will receive a one-gram, 22-carat gold ring. The annual financial allocation for the programme is Rs 755.83 crore, while 1.28 lakh rings have been prepared for the first phase.

The rings will carry unique serial numbers and be distributed in tamper-proof packaging, the state government said. Beneficiaries will receive the rings at the time of discharge from the hospital.

To qualify, the mother must be a permanent resident of Tamil Nadu, and the beneficiary should be registered under the Pregnancy and Infant Cohort Monitoring and Evaluation (PICME) system and possess a Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) ID.

The scheme will be implemented across Tamil Nadu, except in the Madurantakam and Dharapuram Assembly constituencies, where bypolls are scheduled for October 6.

The scheme was originally scheduled for launch on September 15, the birth anniversary of former Chief Minister C N Annadurai, but was postponed due to Vijay's overseas visit to London.

According to the government, around 7.8 lakh children are born in Tamil Nadu annually, with 99.9 per cent of deliveries taking place in healthcare institutions. Around 4.2 lakh deliveries occur in government hospitals.

Work orders for supplying the rings have been issued to Joyalukkas and Kalyan Jewellers. A Government Order notifying the scheme was issued on June 23.