Adoption In India Crosses 4000, Reaches Pre-Pandemic Levels But Process Remains Tedious
Government data indicates that adoptions in India have crossed 4,000, returning to pre-pandemic levels. Between April 2023 and March 2024, families in India and abroad adopted 4,009 Indian children. The last time adoptions exceeded 4,000 was in 2018-19, when the number reached 4,027. However, the adoption process in India continues to be tedious, with only about 10% of orphaned children?getting adopted annually.
Adoptions in India exceed the 4000-mark
Data released by Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA), the nodal body for adoption of Indian children, reveals that out of the 4,009 adoptions in 2023-24, 449 were international adoptions.
It was also revealed recently that there is a rise in adoption of the girl child in India, with Punjab leading the trend.
Here is the detailed adoption data since 2015-16 onwards:
| Year | In-country | Inter-country |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-2024 | 2560 | 449 |
| 2022-2023 | 3010 | 431 |
| 2021-2022 | 2991 | 414 |
| 2020-2021 | 3142 | 417 |
| 2019-2020 | 3351 | 394 |
| 2018-2019 | 3374 | 653 |
| 2017-2018 | 3276 | 651 |
| 2016-2017 | 3210 | 578 |
| 2015-2016 | 3011 | 666 |
This year, CARA introduced 'foster adoption' as a new category.?
Currently, 10 children have been placed in foster adoption nationwide.
Additionally, CARA is prioritising cases involving relatives interested in adopting orphaned children or prospective parents wanting to adopt stepchildren.?
In total, 412 children, adopted domestically, fall under the 'relative & step adoption' category.
Only 10% orphans get adopted annually
In March this year, the Supreme Court expressed frustration over the failure to establish Specialised Adoption Agencies (SAA) in 370 districts nationwide.?These agencies are meant to simplify the adoption process for abandoned and surrendered children.
Previously, the Supreme Court had remarked on the cumbersome nature of the adoption process in India and stressed the need for streamlining it.?
This concern is underscored by data showing that only around 10% of orphaned children¡ªestimated to be between 30,000 to 30 million¡ªare adopted annually. Conversely, nearly 30,000 prospective parents in India wait an average of three years to adopt a child.
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