ANALYSIS
When it came to inter-country adoptions of Indian children in 2020-21, USA led the list (217), followed by Italy (65), Spain (34) and Malta (25).
Earlier this year, India amended its Juvenile Justice Act to speed up the child adoption process, a decision spurred partly by large numbers of minors being orphaned or abandoned during the Covid-19 pandemic. For a country with an estimated 3.1 crore orphans (according to UNICEF) and where nine out of 10 abandoned children are girls (as per reports), the adoption process is relatively cumbersome, easily taking 3-4 years.
On an average, India records 3,500 in-country and nearly 500 inter-country adoptions every year, show data by the Central Adoption Resource Authority under the women and child development ministry. Adoptions dropped in the last two years owing to the pandemic.
Data from 2020-21 show the highest in-country adoptions were recorded in Maharashtra (593), followed by Tamil Nadu (353), Karnataka (227), Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal (197 each). More girls are adopted every year than boys.
When it came to inter-country adoptions of Indian children in 2020-21, USA led the list (217), followed by Italy (65), Spain (34), Malta (25) and Canada (24).
The Covid-19 pandemic led to over 5.3 lakh deaths in India and insufferable losses among people. Entire families were wiped out and over 10,000 children orphaned, according to government records. Close to 500 minors were also abandoned during this period.
Madhya Pradesh recorded the highest number of orphaned and abandoned children during Covid (2,153), followed by Odisha (1,621), Gujarat (1,210), Rajasthan (732) and Maharashtra (722). The impact was so massive that the Centre had to introduce separate schemes for the welfare of such children. The PM CARES for Children funds education and health needs of orphans, and also provides financial aid from the age of 18.
However, when it comes to willing parents opting for adoption, the unending legalities and technicalities, coupled with bureaucratic delays, prove tedious and emotionally taxing for them. Even the Supreme Court in August urged streamlining of the process. “Can you imagine a three to four years period to adopt a child in India? It should be made simpler. There are thousands of orphan children waiting to be adopted,” the court had urged.
Raima Sen mourns Bharat Dev Varma's demise, pens emotional note for 'great father, great husband'
DNA TV Show: Ahead of Maharashtra poll results, MVA, Mahayuti engage in resort politics
Maharashtra: Stage set for assembly poll results; Mahayuti, MVA confident of their victories
All set for vote counting in Jharkhand tomorrow; NDA, JMM-led alliances confident of winning
Watch: Australia star inquires Rishabh Pant about his next IPL team, gets 2-word reply
Shah Rukh Khan’s house Mannat was first offered to his industry rival…, but he refused because...
The Visionary Who Promises a Blue Sky for India: Holger Thorsten Schubart’s G20 Climate Speech
The Surge of High-End Living: Luxury Residential Market to Outpace Other Segments
FeFCon 2024 to be Held in Bangalore: A Premier Event on Fever Management
'That’s wild': Noida man turns cigarette butts into teddy bears in viral video, watch
London Airport evacuates passengers over security threat, thousands stranded
The World’s First Innovative Iron Supplement to Combat Iron Deficiency and Anaemia
Meet grandmother who became fashion icon after trying on her granddaughter’s clothes
IND vs AUS: Rishabh Pant joins Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma in elite WTC list, becomes 3rd Indian to...
'All scripted drama...': Puneet Superstar allegedly assaulted by influencers in viral video, watch
Actress Ana de Armas caught kissing Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel’s son in viral photos
Oreshnik's Shadow: Will Russia's hypersonic missile force west to back down?
‘You’re So Beautiful’: World’s tallest woman meets world’s shortest woman over tea, pics go viral
Delhi-NCR Air Pollution: Consequences of GRAP-4 are drastic, may have adverse effects, says SC
Delhi-NCR Air Pollution: Schools likely to stay closed till..., check city-wise update
Maharashtra: 3 killed, 9 hospitalised after gas leak at fertiliser plant in Sangli
THIS farm is selling a cup of coffee for Rs 28000, but there's a twist, it is...
Chhattisgarh: 10 Maoists killed after encounter with security personnel in Sukma
Mukesh Ambani's SUPERHIT plan for Jio users, offers unlimited 5G access for 1 year for just Rs...
IND vs AUS 1st Test: KL Rahul's dismissal sparks DRS controversy in Perth Test
Dense fog, heavy rain predicted in these states till November 25; check here
Oreshnik Hypersonic Missile: Which nations are within its range?
Bihar teacher, principal reach school in drunken state; know what happened next
'I have faced a lot of...': Arjun Kapoor REVEALS his biggest fear amid break up with Malaika Arora
How millions of Indians may get affected due to US indictment of Gautam Adani in bribery case
Amid divorce rumours with Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan says 'missing someone is okay but...'
After Bibles, watches and sneakers, Donald Trump is now selling autographed guitars, price is...
Delhi pollution: Air quality improves to ‘very poor’ category, AQI at...
Vladimir Putin's BIG threat, warns he could strike UK with new ballistic missile if...
Shillong Teer Results TODAY November 22, 2024 Live Updates: Check winning numbers here
Somebody misbehaved with Alia Bhatt on Highway sets then Imtiaz Ali had to...
Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal reveals twist behind Rs 200000 job fee, closes application window
Days after Ratan Tata's demise, Tata Group's Rs 131000 crore company inks pact with ADB for...