The lure of gold is hard to ignore, and in Tamil Nadu, there is a long-standing tradition of gold assistance provided by the state government over the years.
The latest is a scheme called ‘Thaaimaman Thanga Mothiram Thittam’ launched by Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Monday.
Vijay, who built an image as ‘Thamizh magan’ (son of Tamil Nadu) with an accomplished acting career, has cashed in on his popularity by projecting himself as the ‘Thaaimaman’ or maternal uncle of newborns in the state.
The scheme that was launched by the chief minister in Madurai offers a one-gram, 22-carat gold ring for eligible newborns delivered at government hospitals in the state.
Though various governments in Tamil Nadu have provided gold assistance under various schemes, there has been an interesting progression. What used to be a gold assistance given to women for marriage gradually progressed, with the focus shifting to education, and now incentivising childbirth in government hospitals.
Ten years ago, then Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa launched the 'Thalikku Thangam' scheme, which promised 'gold assistance' to women for marriage. The scheme launched in 2011 offered eight grams of gold to eligible women, with a total allocation of Rs 204 crore.
The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) government also had a four-gram gold coin scheme for girls completing 10th standard, which was introduced in 2011.
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government under M K Stalin restructured the scheme, replacing the gold assistance with a monthly stipend of Rs 1,000 for girl students between classes 6 and 12. The scheme launched in 2022 was dubbed 'Pudhumai Penn' and also called Moovalur Ramamirtham Ammaiyar Higher Education Assurance Scheme.
Now the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government under actor Vijay has kept the 'golden' tradition intact, with an ambitious scheme that would cost Rs 755.83 crore.
There are similar gold assistance schemes introduced by other states. The government of Assam launched the 'Arundhati Gold Scheme' for newly-married women 'from economically backward classes' in 2020. As per the scheme, Rs 30,000 was promised for women to purchase gold for marriage.
The Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh also had a gold-assistance scheme for marriage. According to the scheme, eligible women were to be provided 5 grams of gold. However, the Department of Social and Tribal Welfare of the UT of Ladakh amended the provision by removing the gold component, instead offering a one-time financial assistance of Rs 50,000.