CM VIJAY LAUNCHES ‘THAIMAAMAN ONE GRAM GOLD RING SCHEME’ FOR NEWBORNS IN GHs ACROSS TN

Chief Minister S. Joseph Vijay inaugurated the flagship ‘Thaimaaman Thanga Mothiram’ (Maternal Uncle Gold Ring) scheme at the Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai on Monday.
Under the initiative, the State government will present a one-gram gold ring to each newborn delivered at government hospitals and primary health centres across Tamil Nadu.
Launching the scheme at a function held at the hospital, CM Vijay personally presented gold rings to 27 newborns. To project a message of communal harmony, mothers representing Hindu, Muslim, and Christian faiths were seated on stage with their infants. The Chief Minister initiated the distribution by presenting rings to these three infants first, beginning with a baby girl named Muthu Yazhini from the Alagumalai region. Gold rings were subsequently distributed to 24 other infants present at the venue.
Following the ceremony, the Chief Minister visited the maternity ward of the hospital and gifted gold rings to 10 more newborns. The deliberate inclusion and presentation to infants across different religious backgrounds in a unified ceremony drew notable public attention.
Cabinet Ministers N. Anand, Arunraj, Nirmalkumar, and Viswanathan, along with Madurai Member of Parliament S. Venkatesan, were among the dignitaries present at the event.
Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Vijay arrived in Madurai from Chennai on a non-scheduled flight and held a roadshow en route to the Government Rajaji Hospital. Simultaneously, Ministers launched the distribution scheme in their respective districts across the State.
The scheme applies to infants born on or after June 22, 2026.
The Tamil Nadu government has allocated ₹755.83 crore annually for this initiative, with an initial procurement of 1.28 lakh gold rings.
Later in the day, the Chief Minister inaugurated the renovated Gandhi Memorial Museum in Madurai, upgraded at a cost of ₹10.25 crore. He toured the museum premises and viewed historic artifacts, including Mahatma Gandhi’s blood-stained garments and personal effects.
Following a brief rest at the Madurai Government Circuit House, Chief Minister Vijay is scheduled to offer prayers at the Sri Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple at 4:30 PM before returning to Chennai via a special flight at 6:00 PM.