New Delhi: The Central Adoption Resource Authority has highlighted the challenges faced by children awaiting adoption in Child Care Institutions. It stated that cumbersome procedures and delays often result in children reaching the age of 6 when prospective adoptive parents are less interested.
CARA also claimed that the majority of parents prefer to adopt children below 2 years. The annual number of adoptions has declined and also seen a lack of infrastructure and staff in the adoption process.
According to media reports, additional solicitor general Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for CARA with its director Jagannath Pati, informed a bench of CJI DY Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra that nearly 70% of PAPs prefer to adopt children aged below two years. Only 10.3% of PAPs adopt children aged 2-4 years and 14.8% prefer to adopt children aged 4-6 years.
Providing comprehensive statistics about adoptions, a media report quoting Bhati said though crores of children are lodged in CCIs, only 2,146 were legally free to be adopted. As on October 28, there were as many as 30,669 PAPs registered with CARA. As per data placed before the SC, the annual number of adoptions has declined from 4,362 in 2014-15 to 3,158 in 2022-23.
As per a report by The Times Of India, the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) painted a gloomy picture for nearly 3.5 crore children awaiting adoption in various Child Care Institutions (CCIs) saying that the cumbersome procedures and resultant inordinate delay had led to a situation where many of the children available for adoption reach the age of 6 years when a majority of prospective adoptive parents ( PAPs) are no longer willing to embrace them.
Expressing concern at delays in adoptions being carried out in India, Chief Justice of India DY Chandradchud remarked There is a great amount of feeling across the country that there are no adoptions going on.
