Tamil Nadu Rolls Out One-Gram Gold Ring Scheme for Newborns in Madurai

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay on Monday launched a welfare scheme that provides one-gram 22-carat gold rings to newborn babies delivered in government hospitals, rolling it out at the Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai. The initiative, named the Maternal Uncle Gold Ring Scheme (Thaaimaman Thanga Mothiram Thittam), fulfils a key electoral promise.

At the launch, the Chief Minister held the infants for a while and placed the rings on their fingers, and was also seen taking selfies with new mothers at the hospital.

The state government has earmarked Rs 755.83 crore for the programme and has already procured 1.28 lakh gold rings for the initial phase. The scheme applies to eligible babies born on or after June 22, 2026.

According to the government, each ring will carry a unique serial number and will be handed over in tamper-proof packaging. Mothers who are permanent residents of Tamil Nadu, registered under the Pregnancy and Infant Cohort Monitoring and Evaluation (PICME) system and holding a Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) ID, will be eligible for the benefit.

To cover babies born between June 22 and the launch date, rings will be distributed through 107 hubs across the state, beginning at a rate of 100 babies per day per hub. From the launch date onward, babies born in government hospitals will receive the ring at the time of discharge.

The government said the initiative is aimed at honouring motherhood, promoting women's health and encouraging institutional births by drawing more families to public healthcare.

Minister Arun Raj described the maternal uncle as someone among the first to share in a sister's happiness at a child's birth, offering love, support and security. He said the government, under the leadership of "our brother" Vijay, was embracing that bond by providing a one-gram gold ring to every child born in government hospitals. He added that Madurai was chosen as the launch site, describing it as sacred soil blessed with the compassion and grace of Mother Meenakshi.

The scheme has drawn criticism from Opposition parties, which raised concerns over the use of the Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation to procure gold rings, noting that the body is meant for drugs and medical items. DMK leader TKS Elangovan contrasted the scheme with price rise, saying a free gold ring will not help the common man and that farmers are suffering.

The ruling TVK has said the scheme is intended to encourage deliveries in government hospitals, adding that legal opinion has been taken and that it will be executed well. The Service Doctors and Post Graduate Association has flagged difficulties in safeguarding gold rings in hospital lockers, warning that healthcare services could be disturbed, and has suggested that the rings be provided through banks.