A Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) initiative to provide lightweight artificial limbs to amputees without additional government expenditure has won the Chief Minister’s Best Practices Award-2026.The award was presented by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay at the Independence Day celebrations in Chennai on Saturday. Dean of Coimbatore Medical College Hospital M. Geethanjali received the award.The initiative was conceived by S. Vetrivel Chezian, former Director of the Institute of Orthopaedics and Traumatology at CMCH, who retired on July 31.Since its inception in 2020, the centre has provided 280 artificial limbs to beneficiaries from 22 districts, including 101 above-knee, 152 below-knee, 13 above-elbow and 14 below-elbow prostheses.The project used existing infrastructure and manpower, with ₹20 lakh in establishment costs met by recycling funds generated through orthopaedic procedures under the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (TN-CMCHIS).The Coimbatore Corporation won the Chief Minister’s Best Municipal Corporation Award-2026, emerging first in the State under the urban liveability and climate assessment framework, along with a ₹50 lakh cash prize. The award recognised its work in civic administration and infrastructure.Tiruppur-based knitwear manufacturer and exporter SCM Garments received the award for Best Private Employer Providing Maximum Employment Opportunities to Persons with Disabilities. Of its 26,187 employees, 212 are persons with disabilities, working in production, tailoring, quality control, packing, security and supervisory roles. The company has also provided barrier-free facilities, workplace modifications and assistive devices. Published - August 15, 2026 09:23 pm IST