Chennai, Sept 9:
The launch of the Tamil Nadu government’s ‘Thaimaman Thanga Mothiram’ scheme, scheduled for September 15, has been postponed due to Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s foreign trip, Health Minister Arun Raj said on Wednesday.
He said the government would announce the revised launch date officially later.
The scheme was originally scheduled to be launched on September 15.
However, the Chief Minister’s overseas visit has made it impossible to inaugurate the scheme on the date already fixed, Arun Raj told reporters after visiting CPI national general secretary D. Raja, who is undergoing treatment at Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai.
The minister also assured that there would be no compromise on the quality of gold supplied under the scheme. He said the gold would be tested to confirm that it was 916 purity before the rings were sent for distribution. Beneficiaries would also have the option of getting the rings tested, he said.
Under the scheme, one-gram gold rings are to be given to eligible newborns delivered at government health institutions. The initiative was announced by the TVK government as a measure aimed at encouraging families to choose government hospitals for childbirth. Arun Raj had earlier said the proportion of deliveries in government hospitals had declined from 66% in 2017-18 to around 51% currently.
Meanwhile, Arun Raj said the government would soon begin registration for bone-marrow and stem-cell donation at government hospitals across Tamil Nadu. He appealed to the public to come forward to donate bone marrow, particularly in view of the demand for such donations for children. He also said steps were being taken to address problems in government hospitals and improve the quality of healthcare services across the State.