Tamil Nadu to gift 1.28 lakh gold rings to newborns:₹220 crore order for babies born since June; Oppn questions tender

The Tamil Nadu government has issued work orders for 1.28 lakh gold rings for babies born in government hospitals, with ₹220 crore allocated for the scheme. The Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation (TNMSC) placed the orders with Joyalukkas and Kalyan Jewellers late on Friday night. The rings will be given to babies born in government hospitals between June and September. The scheme will be launched on September 15, the birth anniversary of Dravidian movement leader CN Annadurai. Children born in government hospitals after the Chief Minister’s birthday on June 22 will be eligible for the scheme. Question regarding tender in the assembly The Tamil Nadu Assembly also debated the tender process for the scheme, with the opposition DMK and AIADMK questioning the procurement procedure. According to the opposition parties, several companies had quoted additional charges ranging from ₹410.97 to more than ₹15,000, but were not awarded the tender. They also questioned why the Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation (TNMSC) had been entrusted with the procurement. The opposition argued that TNMSC was established primarily to procure medicines and medical equipment and to build hospitals. Scheme aims to promote deliveries in government hospitals Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay announced the scheme in April, ahead of the Assembly elections, saying it was aimed at encouraging more women to give birth in government hospitals and strengthening public trust in government healthcare services. The scheme was also part of TVK’s election promises. Under the initiative, gold rings will be given to babies born in government hospitals. 11 companies participated in tender According to the government, a tender was issued on July 14 for the supply of more than 400,000 one-gram gold rings. Eleven companies participated in the TNMSC tender and submitted their bids through the Tamil Nadu government’s e-tendering portal. Joyalukkas quoted the lowest bid of ₹0.01 per gram of gold, excluding additional charges such as processing fees, insurance, transportation and BIS hallmarking. “The total value of the tender is around ₹755 crore. The gold price constitutes the largest portion of the total purchase price,” Joyalukkas said. The company said it had charged a “symbolic service charge of only 1 paisa over the prevailing price of gold”.