Tamil Nadu rolls out Maternal Uncle Gold Ring September 15
Tamil Nadu is rolling out the "Maternal Uncle Gold Ring Scheme" on September 15, keeping a campaign promise from Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay.
Under this plan, every baby born in a government hospital since June 22 gets a one-gram 22-carat gold ring, meant to encourage families to choose public hospitals and trust the state's health care system.
Government orders 1.28L rings ₹755cr
For the first four months, over 1.28 lakh rings have been ordered from Joyalukkas and Kalyan Jewellers, with costs tied to current gold prices.
The government set aside about ₹755 crore for the year, aiming to cover around 4.4 lakh babies.
Some opposition leaders are questioning how the jewelry contracts were awarded, but Health Minister Arunraj says the scheme is all about building faith in public health care.