Tamil Nadu will begin distributing 1g gold rings to eligible newborns delivered in government hospitals under the ‘Thaimaaman Thanga Mothiram’ scheme, which Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay is scheduled to launch on September 28.
The scheme will cover children born in government hospitals from June 22, 2026. The state government issued the order for the programme on June 23, and Vijay reviewed its launch and implementation at a meeting at the secretariat on Friday, according to a government release reported by the Times of India.
Eligibility will be linked to the mother’s permanent residence in Tamil Nadu and registration in the Pregnancy and Infant Cohort Monitoring and Evaluation system. The mother must also have a Reproductive and Child Health identity number. These conditions connect the benefit to the state’s existing maternal and child health monitoring systems.
Each ring will carry a unique serial number and be supplied in tamper-proof packaging. The government has procured an initial 1.28 lakh rings for the programme, according to the release.
For children born in government hospitals between June 22 and September 27, distribution will begin on September 28 through 107 hubs across the state. Each hub will distribute rings to 100 children a day. For children born from September 28 onwards, the ring will be provided when the mother and child are discharged from the government hospital.
The rollout is being positioned as an incentive for institutional deliveries in the public health system. Tamil Nadu records around 7.8 lakh births annually, while 99.9% of births in the state take place in health facilities. Government hospitals account for 53% of annual births, and approximately 90% of deliveries in that segment take place in comprehensive emergency obstetric and newborn care centres, the report said.
Health officials believe the scheme could increase the share of deliveries taking place in government hospitals. The distribution model also gives the state a mechanism to link a welfare benefit to hospital records, pregnancy registration and newborn-care documentation.
The initial distribution will cover children born during the period beginning June 22 and ending September 27, with collection routed through the 107 designated hubs. From the launch date, the government plans to provide the ring before the mother and child leave the hospital.