Parliament Question: Central Adoption Resource Authority

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3279 TO BE ANSWERED ON 07.08.2026 CENTRAL ADOPTION RESOURCE AUTHORITY

3279. SHRI P P CHAUDHARY:

SHRI P C MOHAN:

SHRI BHOJRAJ NAG:

SHRI VIJAY KUMAR DUBEY:

SHRI MANISH JAISWAL:

SHRI KOTA SRINIVASA POOJARY:

SHRI ANURAG SINGH THAKUR:

DR. HEMANT VISHNU SAVARA:

SMT. ANITA NAGARSINGH CHOUHAN:

DR. HEMANG JOSHI:

SHRI NABA CHARAN MAJHI:

SHRI NALIN SOREN:

Will the Minister of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government has taken any new initiative through the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) to make the adoption process, more transparent, simplified and timebound in the country;

(b) if so, the details thereof;

(c) the number of children adopted through CARA in the country during the last two years, along with the average waiting period for adoption, State/UT-wise including Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra;

(d) whether the Government proposes to increase the number of Specialised Adoption Agencies (SAAs)/strengthen the necessary facilities for the rehabilitation of abandoned and orphaned children in the country, if so, the details thereof along with the estimated timeline in this regard State/UT-wise and constituency-wise;

(e) the details of the measures taken to reduce the average time taken for completion of adoption process; and

(f) the details of the steps proposed to expand awareness and outreach services in the country? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SAVITRI THAKUR)

(a) to (f):. The Ministry of Women and Child Development is the nodal Ministry for the administration of Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 (JJ Act, 2015), the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Model Rules, 2016 and the Adoption Regulations, 2022 for adoption through the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA).

Under the JJ Act 2015, the Child Welfare Committees (CWCs) have been empowered to takedecisions with regard to the children in need of care and protection including orphaned, abandoned and surrendered.

The District Magistrate has been empowered to issue Adoption Orders as per Section 58(3) and Section 61 of the JJ Act, 2015 read with Regulation 36 of Adoption Regulations, 2022.

As per Schedule XIV of the Adoption Regulations 2022, timelines have been defined for each stakeholder.

The waiting period of the Prospective Adoptive Parents (PAPs) depends on the availability of children who are declared legally free for adoption by CWC. It also depends on the choice of the PAPs to adopt from the age group preferred.

In order to reduce delays and to maintain transparency, CARA has digitized end-to-end process through the digital platform of Adoption Module under Mission Vatsalya portal and regular monitoring and follow-ups is done with the State Governments and UT Administrations including all stakeholders to expedite the process, as per the Schedule XIV of the Adoption Regulation, 2022 which has stipulated timeline for authorities and agencies working in adoption.

The Ministry is implementing a Centrally Sponsored Scheme namely ‘Mission Vatsalya’ in all States and Union Territories on predefined cost sharing basis between the Central and the State Governments to deliver various services for children in difficult circumstances including orphan children. The scheme provides institutional care and non-institutional care. Child Care Institutions (CCIs) established under the Mission Vatsalya scheme provide, inter-alia, age- appropriate education, access to vocational training, recreation, health care, counselling etc.

The Scheme also supports the Specialized Adoption Agencies (SAAs) registered under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act,2015, where adoptable children of below six years of age are provided residential care.

States and UTs have been advised to establish at least one Specialised Adoption Agency

(SAA) in each district in accordance with Sections 65 and 66 of the JJ Act, 2015, read with Adoption Regulations, 2022 (Regulations 3 & 5). 795 SAAs have been approved under Mission Vatsalya Scheme for all State Governments and Union Territory Administrations as on 29.07.2026. All SAAs are mandatorily onboarded onto the integrated CARINGS-Mission Vatsalya system, enabling end-to-end digital processing of adoption cases including referral, matching, and documentation. Compliance is monitored through real-time dashboards at Central and State levels, and through periodic review meetings.

The nationwide Information, Education and Communication (IEC) activities as well as localized outreach programmes to promote adoption and foster care are conducted under Mission Vatsalya. CARA also undertakes awareness and outreach activities across the country to create awareness and promote legal adoption including workshops, seminars and orientation sessions for stakeholders. Awareness regarding legal adoption procedures and the importance of child adoption through print, electronic and social media platforms, etc is also undertaken regularly by CARA.

States and UTs Administration wise detail of children adopted through CARA in the country during the last two years including Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra is at Annexure.ANNEXURE ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTs (a) to (f) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUSTION NO. 3279 FOR ANSWER ON 07.08.2026 BY SHRI P P CHAUDHARY, SHRI P C MOHAN, SHRI BHOJRAJ NAG, SHRI VIJAY KUMAR DUBEY, SHRI MANISH JAISWAL, SHRI KOTA SRINIVASA POOJARY, SHRI ANURAG SINGH THAKUR, DR. HEMANT VISHNU SAVARA, SMT. ANITA NAGARSINGH CHOUHAN, DR. HEMANG JOSHI, SHRI NABA CHARAN MAJHI AND SHRI NALIN SOREN REGARDING CENTRAL ADOPTION RESOURCE AUTHORITY STATES AND UTS ADMINISTRATION WISE DETAIL OF CHILDREN ADOPTED THROUGH CARA IN THE COUNTRY DURING THE LAST TWO YEARS INCLUDING RAJASTHAN, MADHYA PRADESH, KARNATAKA AND MAHARASHTRA.

S. No. State Adoption Data 2024-25 2025-26 1 Andaman and Nicobar Islands 16 11 2 Andhra Pradesh 109 140 3 Arunachal Pradesh 6 5 4 Assam 153 186 5 Bihar 155 125 6 Chandigarh 15 18 7 Chhattisgarh 120 114 8 Delhi 110 109 9 Goa 26 25 10 Gujarat 156 547 11 Haryana 91 68 12 Himachal Pradesh 8 14 13 Jammu and Kashmir 39 42 14 Jharkhand 71 60 15 Karnataka 306 377 16 Kerala 176 170 17 Ladakh 0 0 18 Lakshadweep 0 019 Madhya Pradesh 133 221 20 Maharashtra 849 792 21 Manipur 8 4 22 Meghalaya 16 13 23 Mizoram 47 78 24 Nagaland 12 13 25 Odisha 287 308 26 Puducherry 17 15 27 Punjab 109 49 28 Rajasthan 160 172 29 Sikkim 26 28 30 Tamil Nadu 465 501 31 Telangana 267 307 32 Dadra and Nagar Haveli & Daman and Diu 7 5 33 Tripura 3 7 34 Uttar Pradesh 205 231 35 Uttarakhand 19 30 36 West Bengal 328 237 *****