Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Monday (September 28, 2026) declared open the renovated Gandhi Memorial Museum in Madurai.

Mr. Vijay garlanded the Mahatma Gandhi statue on the museum premises and inspected the renovated structure.

The renovation work was carried out at a total cost of ₹10.25 crore by the Heritage Wing of the Public Works Department.

Structure’s history

The Gandhi Museum was originally Rani Mangammal’s summer palace. In the 17^th century, it transitioned to serve as the Collector’s Bungalow and Judges’ Residence during the British period.

After Independence, in 1955, the palace was gifted by the Tamil Nadu government to the All India Gandhi Smarak Nidhi.

It was converted into a museum honouring Mahatma Gandhi, which was inaugurated in 1959. The museum houses Mahatma Gandhi’s 14 belongings, including his blood-stained cloth.

Renovation work

The latest renovation work began in October 2022, and a total of ₹6 crore was allocated for the same. Following a request from the museum authorities, another ₹4 crore was allocated for additional infrastructure.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Monday (September 28, 2026) launched the Thaimaman Thanga MothiramThittam (maternal uncle gold ring scheme) for babies born in government healthcare institutions across the State, at Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) in Madurai .

The scheme, one of the poll promises of the ruling Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), envisages gifting a one-gram gold ring to all newborn babies delivered in Tamil Nadu’s government hospitals on or after June 22, (Mr. Vijay’s birthday). The rings will be BIS hallmarked and will bear the logo of the Tamil Nadu government, an image of CM Vijay, and the name of the scheme.

After arriving at the Madurai airport through a chartered flight from Chennai on Monday morning, Mr Vijay went by road to the GRH premises.

Besides TVK volunteers, members of the public had gathered en route waving at Mr. Vijay. Traffic was diverted in some parts of Madurai city to ensure smooth passage for the Chief Minister and his convoy.

During the launch event of the scheme at GRH, three mothers, each belonging to Hindu, Muslim, and Christian religions were seated on the stage with their infants. Accordingly, Yalini, a baby girl born to Muthu and Muniyandi; Mohammed Sainsha, a baby boy born to Sikandar and Ramila Banu; and a baby girl born to Bose and Stella Mary were presented the gold rings. Overall, gold rings were presented to 27 infants at the inaugural function.

After launching the scheme, Mr. Vijay visited the maternity ward of the GRH and adorned 10 children admitted there with gold rings.

Durgadevi, a mother from Alwarpuram in Madurai, shared her joy after Chief Minister Mr. Vijay held her baby girl and whispered the name ‘Balathiyazhan’ into the infant’s ears. The mother expressed immense happiness over the Chief Minister naming the child by playing the role of her elder brother.

Earlier, speaking to reporters after inspecting the arrangements for the scheme’s launch event at the GRH, Minister for Law and Energy Resources C.T.R. Nirmal Kumar said: “It is a matter of great joy that the Thaimaman Thanga MothiramThittam is being launched in Madurai. The Chief Minister, who has won the affection of the people of Madurai, is coming here as their brother. It was the Chief Minister’s personal wish to launch this scheme in Madurai.”

He added measures were taken to ensure there is no disruption to the hospital’s regular operations or to the patients.

Further, speaking about various projects for Madurai, he stated that ₹2,000 crore has been allocated for the underground drainage project, and funds have also been allocated for the long-pending cancer hospital project. Mr. Nirmal Kumar stated that the search for a location to establish a Law School of Excellence in an area of about 15 acres in Madurai is underway, and many more such projects are expected to come to Madurai.