Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Monday (September 28, 2026) launched the Thaimaaman Thanga Mothiram Thittam (maternal uncle’s gold ring scheme)at the Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai, marking a Statewide rollout of one of his Assembly poll promises.
Under the State-sponsored scheme, a one-gram gold ring will be gifted to every baby born in government hospitals and primary health centres across Tamil Nadu.
Health Minister K.G.
“Approximately 7.80 lakh children are born annually in Tamil Nadu, with about 4.20 lakh deliveries (53%) taking place in government hospitals.
Further, according to the National Family Health Survey-6 data, 99.9 % of deliveries in Tamil Nadu take place in medical institutions,” Dr. Arunraj added.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Monday (September 28, 2026) launched the Thaimaaman Thanga Mothiram Thittam (maternal uncle’s gold ring scheme)at the Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai, marking a Statewide rollout of one of his Assembly poll promises.
Under the State-sponsored scheme, a one-gram gold ring will be gifted to every baby born in government hospitals and primary health centres across Tamil Nadu. The scheme is being implemented with retrospective effect to cover babies born in government hospitals from June 22, 2026 (Mr. Vijay’s birthday) onwards.
On day one, Mr. Vijay personally presented gold rings to 37 newborns, moving through the main auditorium and the Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (CEmONC) ward at the hospital.
At the launch event, mothers belonging to three different religions were seated on the stage with their children. Mr. Vijay first adorned these three children — Yazhini, a baby girl born to the couple Muthu and Muniyandi; Mohammed Sainsha, a baby boy born to the couple Sikandar and Ramila Banu; and a baby girl named Joman born to the couple Bose and Stella Mary — with gold rings.
Health Minister K.G. Arunraj, participating at the event, said: “A maternal uncle ( Thaimaamanin Tamil) is among the first to arrive when a new life begins, sharing fully in his sister’s joy and promising lifelong love, support, and security. By launching the Thaimaaman Thanga Mothiram Thittam, the Chief Minister embodies this sacred cultural bond, gifting a one-gram gold ring to every new born in government hospitals. When considering where to launch this initiative, the Chief Minister chose Madurai — a sacred soil blessed by the grace of Goddess Meenakshi,” he said.
He said Tamil Nadu strengthened maternal and child health through robust medical infrastructure, skilled personnel, and priority schemes such as financial assistance, emergency obstetric care, nutritional support, free deliveries, and newborn care.
“Approximately 7.80 lakh children are born annually in Tamil Nadu, with about 4.20 lakh deliveries (53%) taking place in government hospitals. Further, according to the National Family Health Survey-6 data, 99.9 % of deliveries in Tamil Nadu take place in medical institutions,” Dr. Arunraj added.
Of these, 90% of deliveries occur in Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care Centres (CEmONC) established exclusively across 130 government hospitals. Safe delivery services provided through government hospitals at a very low cost also significantly reduce the public’s medical expenditure burden, he said.
“With the objective of further strengthening public trust in the services of the Department of Health and Family Welfare, in accordance with the Vision Plan, the Tamil Nadu government has announced the Thaimaaman Thangam Mothiram Thittamas a special welfare scheme to honour children born in Government Hospitals,” he said.
The Government Order for this was issued on June 23, 2026, and Rs. 755.83 crore has been allocated to implement the scheme this year.
Museum inaugurated
The Chief Minister later in the day inaugurated the newly renovated Gandhi Memorial Museum, and in the evening, he visited the Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple to offer prayers.
