Tarun Karthick
Campbell Bay, 30 June 2023
Recognising children as the nation’s most valuable asset, India, with the world’s largest child population, strives to protect and provide for vulnerable children through adoption. Despite constitutional guarantees, some children face neglect, abandonment, and various forms of abuse, making adoption a vital solution for ensuring their safety and well-being.
Adoption grants individuals or couples non-biological parental rights, transforming them into legitimate parents of the child. To streamline the adoption process, online registration on the Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System (CARINGS) is now mandatory. Prospective adopters must submit their applications through the official website www.cara.nic.in and adhere to the prescribed procedures outlined in the Adoption Regulations.
Under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection for Children) Act, each district’s State government must designate one or more institutions as a Specialised Adoption Agency (SAA). These registered Child Care Institutions provide shelter to orphans, abandoned, and surrendered children, facilitating their adoption through orders from the Child Welfare Committee.
To ensure transparency and accountability, SAAs are required to report on admissions, restorations, transfers, deaths, and adoptions to various authorities, including the Child Welfare Committee, District Child Protection Unit, State Adoption Resource Agency, and CARINGS portal.
Pranab Kanya Sangha, a registered Child Care Institution located at AIR Road, Port Blair is the only Specialised Adoption Agency (SAA) in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Operating under the Directorate of Social Welfare, this SAA serves as the primary adoption agency, responsible for placing children in suitable adoptive families.
During the surrender process, every SAA is mandated to treat biological parents with respect and dignity while ensuring the confidentiality of unmarried mothers and biological parents.
For adoption-related inquiries and information, individuals can contact the Department of Social Welfare at Room No. 308.