Explained: What is the Tamil Nadu government’s one-gram gold ring scheme?

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The story so far: On March 7 this year, ahead of the Assembly elections, Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president C. Joseph Vijay had unveiled the party’s first set of poll promises aimed at women and youth during the International Women’s Day celebration organised by the party in Mamallapuram. Among the promises he made, if elected to power, was the rollout of the Thaimaaman Thanga Modhiram Thittam. The scheme envisaged providing a gold ring to all babies born in government hospitals in Tamil Nadu. Now, as Chief Minister, Mr. Vijay has announced the scheduled launch of this scheme. Here’s all you need to know about it.

According to an order of the State government issued on June 23 this year, ₹755.83 crore will be earmarked annually to implement the scheme. The gold rings would be procured for 4,41,667 government hospital deliveries.

The State records approximately 7.8 lakh deliveries, with institutional deliveries constituting around 99.9% of all births, according to the National Family Health Survey-6. Of these, government health facilities account for nearly 4.4 lakh deliveries, or around 53%. Of the approximately 4.4 lakh annual deliveries recorded at government health facilities across Tamil Nadu, medical college hospitals account for 54%, district and sub-district hospitals for 37%, and primary health centres for 9%.

A resident of Tamil Nadu is eligible for the scheme. All pregnant women delivering at government institutions should be registered under PICME and have an RCH ID. The scheme extends coverage to all newborns, regardless of birth order.

A one-gram (22-carat) gold ring with a blister card will be provided to newborn babies along with a baby care kit. The front of the blister card will carry the Government of Tamil Nadu logo, a portrait of the Chief Minister, and the name of the scheme.

The scheme will work on a hub-and-spokes model. A group of 94 high-load Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (CEmONC) centres, which account for 82% of government deliveries, will serve as the primary logistical hubs.

The Dean of the Medical College Hospital, or the Chief Medical Officer or Medical Superintendent of the District Headquarters Hospital or Sub-District Hospital, will be designated as the custodian. The remaining 18% of deliveries are spread across smaller facilities. For these spoke facilities, 24 hubs will act as consolidated distribution nodes.

The Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation (TNMSC) will procure the one-gram gold rings and supply them based on the annual indent given by the Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine. TNMSC-empanelled vendors will supply the rings directly to the 94 hospitals designated as hubs. A State Project Programme Management Unit, a dedicated administrative body, will be set up to implement, monitor, and manage the scheme.

Each ring will be securely packed in a transparent polycarbonate blister card with a tamper-evident seal.