Chennai: Jewellery retailers Joyalukkas and Kalyan Jewellers have been awarded the contract to supply gold rings under the ‘Thaaimaman Thanga Mothiram’ scheme, under which every child born in a govt hospital will receive a 1g gold ring, a release from the state’s health department on Friday said.On July 14, Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation (TNMSC) sought bids for 4.41 lakh 1g, 22-carat, gold rings, drawing bids from 11 companies through the state’s official tenders portal. Jewellery major Joyalukkas India Limited emerged as the lowest bidder for Tamil Nadu’s ₹755-crore scheme. The retail group quoted ₹0.01 as the making charge for each ring.TNMSC MD S P Amrith said the financial bids were opened after 11 bidders qualified in the technical round. “The gold will be priced at the India Bullion and Jewellers Association (IBJA) AM rate — the official morning opening benchmark price for gold and silver in India — on the date of purchase,” he said.As per the Tamil Nadu’s Transparency in Tenders Act, the winning price was shared with the other 10 bidders to see if any would match it; only Kalyan Jewellers agreed, the govt release said. Based on that outcome, the government awarded work orders to the two companies in a 70:30 ratio to supply the 1.28 lakh rings needed for the scheme’s first four months, from June through Sept. Joyalukkas, as the lowest bidder, received the larger 70% share, while Kalyan Jewellers, which matched the price, was allotted the remaining 30%.The flagship scheme, scheduled to be launched on Sep 15, was a campaign promise of the TVK government. Every baby born in a state-run hospital on or after June 22, 2026. Health minister KG Arunraj said the scheme will encourage more women to deliver free of cost in GHs, where the out-of-pocket expenditure is the lowest in the country.
