New Delhi, Apr 02, 2025, IANS

New Delhi, April 2 (IANS) India has seen a record number of child adoptions, 4,515 in FY 2024-25 -- the highest in the last 12 years, according to the Ministry of Women and Child Development. Of the total number, 4,155 were domestic adoptions, said the Ministry noting that, it shows the growing acceptance of legal adoption in the country. This was made possible because of a strong identification drive by data from the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA), which introduced 8,598 new children into the adoption pool. CARA is a statutory body under the Ministry of Women and Child Development. In addition, 245 new adoption agencies were set up in coordination with state governments to streamline the adoption process. The Ministry also credited interventions such as identification cells and extensive training and awareness campaigns for the progress in adoption in the country. “CARA conducted physical state orientations across 12 states and UTs, along with 45 virtual training sessions covering adoption timelines, training of CWC members, foster care, and adoption counseling for children and prospective adoptive parents (PAPs),” the Ministry said. Moreover, CARA partnered with 16 states to organise meets with adoptive parents from October 2024 to January 2025. CARA also launched a comprehensive child identification exercise, adhering to the directives of the Supreme Court. This initiative categorised children under five groups -- orphan, abandoned, surrendered, children with no visitation, and children with unfit guardians. “This strategic effort aimed to bring more children into the legal adoption framework, ensuring their right to a secure and supportive home,” the Ministry said. Further, CARA also introduced new initiatives to enhance alternate family-based care. In 2024, CARA introduced foster care and foster adoption modules on the CARINGS portal to ensure placement of older children in family-based alternate care. The agency implemented digital interventions to streamline adoption procedures and enable greater transparency and efficiency. Identification-related initiatives about data cleansing and provisions from the Adoption Regulations, 2022 were added to the CARINGS portal. New modules for in-country relative and step-parent adoptions were introduced, reducing the average processing time to 3-4 months, the Ministry said.