Two-week deadline to clear pending adoption cases
OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
New Delhi, Sept. 6: Maneka Gandhi has asked states to ensure that cases of orphaned or abandoned children pending with child welfare committees are cleared for adoption within a fortnight.
Sources said there were as many as 10,000 prospective adoptive parents (PAPs) awaiting a call from the women and child development ministry but only 1,500 children with the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) legally free for adoption.
"The problem is that while there are huge numbers of PAPs waiting to adopt, CARA has only 1,500 children in its pool for adoption. We have realised that many cases of orphaned and abandoned children are pending with child welfare committees (CWCs), which are delaying certifying them legally free for adoption," said a source in the women and child development ministry.