India’s Tamil Nadu state has introduced a new initiative offering newborns one-gram gold rings to encourage institutional deliveries and increase public confidence in government hospitals.
Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay launched the Thaaimaman Thanga Mothiram, or Maternal Uncle Gold Ring, scheme at Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai on Monday. Under the programme, eligible babies born at state-run hospitals will receive 22-carat gold rings.
The scheme applies to eligible children born in government hospitals on or after June 22, 2026. Authorities have procured around 128,000 rings for the initial phase of the programme.
According to the state government, the initiative seeks to honour motherhood, promote maternal health and encourage families to choose public healthcare facilities for childbirth.
The programme was also included in an election promise made by Chief Minister Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK). Reports said the government has allocated approximately Rs755.83 crore annually for the initiative.
Officials had originally planned to launch the scheme on September 15, marking former chief minister C.N. Annadurai’s birth anniversary. However, the launch was subsequently moved to September 28.
Tamil Nadu records around 7.8 lakh births annually, with approximately 4.2 lakh, or 53 percent, occurring at government hospitals, according to state figures.
The gold rings are being distributed through designated centres. Each ring reportedly carries a unique serial number and is placed in tamper-proof packaging.
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