Tamil Nadu Health Minister clarifies on gold ring scheme tender
Tamil Nadu's Health Minister clarified that the one-paise bid by Joyalukkas for a government gold ring scheme was a goodwill gesture rather than a profit-seeking move. The state government has awarded the contract to Joyalukkas and Kalyan Jewellers to supply the rings.
Why it matters
The incident underscores the complexities of government procurement and the public scrutiny surrounding symbolic welfare schemes.
Joyalukkas, which quoted one paise and emerged as the lowest bidder for supplying one-gram gold rings under the Thaimaman Thanga Mothiram Thittam said that as far as this scheme was concerned it had no profit motive and was doing so as a goodwill gesture, Tamil Nadu Health Minister K.G. Arunraj said on Monday (August 24, 2026).
The bid amount of one paise sparked a controversy a few days ago, prompting the Health Department to issue a press release stating that work orders have been issued to Joyalukkas and Kalyan Jewellers, which agreed to match the quoted price, in a 70:30 ratio for the scheme.
Thaimaman Thanga Mothiram scheme in Tamil Nadu: Work orders issued to two jewellers for supply of gold rings
Symbolism or substance? Tamil Nadu’s public health professionals question gold ring scheme
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in