TN Welfare Policy Gaps Deny Teen Mothers Maternity Benefits

Tamil Nadu’s expanding welfare framework for newborns has highlighted policy contradictions in Chennai and across the state, as teenage mothers remain excluded from the primary maternity benefit scheme despite facing severe health risks. While all infants born in government hospitals are set to receive a 1g gold ring under the new Thai Maman Thanga Mothiram scheme, mothers younger than 18 years cannot access the ₹18,000 Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy Maternity Benefit scheme.

The Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy scheme provides crucial maternal support, including two nutrition kits with food supplements, iron syrup, and conditional cash assistance linked to antenatal care, institutional delivery, immunisation, and follow-up medical visits. However, its eligibility criteria restrict support to women aged between 18 and 55 years, leaving teenage mothers without direct financial or nutritional aid.

Medical experts have raised concerns regarding the public-health impact of this exclusion, particularly given the prevalence of anaemia in the state. According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), 53.4% of women aged 15 to 49 in Tamil Nadu are anaemic, along with 48.3% of pregnant women. Severe anaemia increases the risk of maternal mortality, while infants face higher risks of preterm birth and low birth weight.

Dr Anjalakshi Chandrasekar, a senior gynaecologist and former professor at the Institute of Obstetrics and Gynecology, noted that teen mothers experience higher complication rates due to anaemia and pregnancy-induced hypertension. She explained that younger mothers also face higher risks of caesarean delivery due to an immature pelvis, necessitating additional nutritional support and regular doctor visits to prevent complications.

State health data reflects these risks. An analysis by Tamil Nadu’s Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine linked 3% of the state’s 479 maternal deaths in 2022-23 to anaemia. Globally, a 2018 multi-country study published in The Lancet Global Health showed that women with severe anaemia had more than twice the adjusted odds of maternal death.

Activists pointed out that while partners of pregnant teenagers often face Pocso cases, the young mothers are left without nutritional support or cash for out-of-pocket medical expenses. In contrast, the Thai Maman Thanga Mothiram scheme offers a 1g 22-carat gold ring to all eligible newborns delivered in government health institutions from June 22, 2026, with an estimated annual requirement of about 4.42 lakh rings.

Disparities also appear in rules for mothers with more than two living children. Under existing guidelines, these women can only receive two nutrition kits worth ₹4,000 and a ₹4,000 post-delivery payment if either parent undergoes permanent sterilisation. Officials cite the need to discourage higher-order births, which account for roughly 6% of births but 30% of maternal deaths. Yet, their infants remain eligible for the gold ring if delivered in state-run hospitals.

T Sundararaman, a public health expert and former executive director of the National Health Systems Resource Centre, stated that the gold ring policy is inconsistent with existing health programmes and was executed to fulfill an election promise rather than advance public health priorities.