‘Thai Maman’ launch today in Madurai

CHENNAI: Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay will launch the Thaai maman Thanga Mothiram Thittam, a welfare scheme, from the Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai on Monday.

Under the scheme, a key poll promise of the ruling TVK, the government will give a one-gram, 22-carat gold ring to babies born in state-run hospitals. To be eligible for the scheme, mothers of newborns must be permanent residents of Tamil Nadu.

According to sources, the CM will inaugurate the scheme at the hospital’s auditorium and present gold rings to 25 newborns. He is also scheduled to visit the maternity ward to personally present rings to infants born on the day.

The scheme was originally scheduled to be launched on September 15, the birth anniversary of late Chief Minister CN Annadurai, but it was postponed due to Vijay’s overseas trip to London.

The state government has allocated an annual outlay of Rs 755.83 crore for the scheme, and 1.28 lakh rings are already ready.

The rings will carry unique serial numbers and will be distributed in tamper-proof packaging, the government said in a press release.

The scheme will be implemented across the state, except in areas falling under the Maduranthakam and Dharapuram Assembly constituencies, where bypolls are scheduled to be held on October 6.

Eligible beneficiaries should be registered under the Pregnancy and Infant Cohort Monitoring and Evaluation (PICME) system and have a Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) ID.

The rings will be given when the beneficiaries are discharged from the hospitals.

Work orders have been issued to Joyalukkas and Kalyan Jewellers for the supply of the rings. A Government Order on the implementation of the scheme was notified on June 23, 2026. A specialised monitoring committee has been constituted in every district under the respective district collector to oversee local implementation, inventory tracking and transparency in distribution.

Later in the day, the CM will declare open the renovated Gandhi Memorial Museum and inspect its facilities. Though not officially confirmed, Vijay is expected to visit the iconic Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple in Madurai, which recently underwent consecration.