NEW DELHI: Tamil Nadu chief minister C Joseph Vijay will launch the one-gram gold ring scheme for newborns on September 28, the state government said. The one-gram gold rings will be provided to babies born in government hospitals under the scheme.The rings will have a unique serial number and be packed in tamper-proof packaging, the government said. As many as 1.28 lakh one-gram gold rings have been procured for the first instalment of the scheme.The government said beneficiaries must be permanent residents of Tamil Nadu to be eligible for the one-gram gold ring scheme.Vijay had announced the one-gram gold ring scheme ahead of the April 23 Assembly election as a symbolic gift to newborns, drawing on the Tamil tradition of ‘Thaimaaman Seer’. The scheme will have retrospective effect from June 22, Vijay’s birthday. A government order issued on June 23 described the initiative as a token celebrating the birth of a child, motherhood and the cultural tradition of ‘Thaimaaman’.The state has allocated around Rs 755.83 crore annually for the scheme, which will cover newborns delivered at government institutions. The Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation will procure the gold rings and supply them based on annual requirements, while a project and programme management unit will oversee the implementation and monitoring of the scheme.
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Tamil Nadu records around 7.8 lakh deliveries annually, with institutional deliveries accounting for 99.9% of births, according to NFHS-6. Government health facilities account for nearly 4.2 lakh deliveries, or around 53% of the total.According to the state government, the average out-of-pocket expenditure for a delivery at a government hospital is Rs 1,364, compared with Rs 63,473 at a private hospital.The scheme is open to Tamil Nadu residents whose children are born at government institutions. Mothers will have to submit proof of residence, with documents including ration cards, voter identity cards, Aadhaar, Labour Welfare Board identity cards, Department of Posts address cards and nativity certificates accepted.The government said the initiative was aimed at combining cultural significance with public healthcare.
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