Tamil Nadu to launch one-gram gold ring scheme for newborns on September 15

Tamil Nadu is set to roll out the Thaimaaman Thanga Mothiram Thittam, a scheme that promises a one-gram gold ring to every baby born in a government hospital in the State. Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay will inaugurate the initiative on September 15, the birth anniversary of former Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai.

The benefit will apply retrospectively from June 22, Mr. Vijay's birthday, meaning babies delivered in government facilities on or after that date will be eligible.

What the scheme offers

Each newborn will receive a one-gram, 22-carat gold ring along with a baby care kit. The ring will be packed in a transparent polycarbonate blister card with a tamper-evident seal. The card will display the Government of Tamil Nadu logo, a portrait of the Chief Minister and the name of the scheme.

Every unit will carry a unique serial number linked to its batch or lot number, hallmark identification and BIS hallmark or assay certificate details, allowing full traceability.

Eligibility and scale

A resident of Tamil Nadu is eligible. Pregnant women delivering at government institutions must be registered under PICME and hold an RCH ID. The scheme covers all newborns, irrespective of birth order.

According to a State government order dated June 23, ₹755.83 crore will be earmarked annually, covering the procurement of rings for 4,41,667 government hospital deliveries.

Tamil Nadu records roughly 7.8 lakh deliveries a year, with institutional deliveries making up about 99.9% of births, as per National Family Health Survey-6 data. Government health facilities account for nearly 4.4 lakh deliveries, or around 53%. Among these, medical college hospitals handle 54%, district and sub-district hospitals 37%, and primary health centres 9%.

How it will work

The scheme will follow a hub-and-spokes model. Ninety-four high-load Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (CEmONC) centres, which together account for 82% of government deliveries, will act as primary logistical hubs. The Dean of a Medical College Hospital, or the Chief Medical Officer or Medical Superintendent of a District Headquarters Hospital or Sub-District Hospital, will be the custodian.

The remaining 18% of deliveries take place at smaller facilities. For these spoke units, 24 hubs will serve as consolidated distribution nodes.

The Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation (TNMSC) will procure the rings and supply them based on the annual indent from the Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine. Empanelled vendors will deliver the rings directly to the 94 hub hospitals. A State Project Programme Management Unit will be set up to implement, monitor and manage the scheme.

Procurement and concerns

The decision to task the TNMSC, an agency created to ensure essential medicines are available in government hospitals, with buying gold rings drew criticism. Opposition parties objected to the arrangement. The corporation has since called for tenders to procure 1,28,499 one-gram rings for a four-month period, and work orders were issued to two jewellers in a 70:30 ratio.

When the scheme was first announced, doctors' associations also raised questions about the administrative burden and the cost of implementation.