From abandonment to family: How government initiatives are revolutionising adoption in India......
In India, adoption has witnessed a significant transformation, driven by government initiatives like those of the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA). In the financial year 2024-25, a record 4,515 legal adoptions were recorded, showcasing the growing societal shift towards open-hearted, legal adoptions and offering hope to many children in need of a loving home......
Sometimes, love comes looking for you, even when you least expect it.
Little Moksh, left at a Child Care Institution just one day after he was born, had no way of knowing that his life was about to become a beautiful story of hope and belonging.
Moksh was born with a condition called knock knees, where his legs bent inward. For four long years, he watched families walk past him. Some paused, some smiled, but most moved on once they saw the mention of his condition on the papers. For Moksh, every passing face was a silent goodbye.
But in 2021, everything changed. Amidst the fear and distance brought by COVID-19, a couple saw him not his diagnosis, not his “defects,” but simply, their son.
Even though the pandemic delayed the adoption process, they refused to give up. From afar, they told him bedtime stories over video calls, made him laugh through screens, and promised they would be together soon.
And they kept their promise.
Before the New Year, Moksh finally came home. His new parents enrolled him in swimming classes to strengthen his legs, supported him with medical care, and most importantly, surrounded him with endless love. Today, Moksh swims, acts in plays, does daring parkour jumps and he proudly holds the title of ‘Student of the Month.’
From being a child once left behind to soaring with confidence, Moksh’s story reminds us how one act of love can change everything.
A shift in India’s adoption story
Moksh’s story is part of a broader, beautiful change unfolding across India.
In the financial year 2024–25, India recorded 4,515 legal adoptions, the highest in nearly a decade. Of these, 4,155 adoptions were domestic—proof that more Indian families are embracing adoption with open hearts, not as a last resort, but as a conscious, proud choice.
Adoption is slowly shedding old taboos and becoming a celebration of building families in new, meaningful ways.
The role of CARA in building families
Behind this positive change is the consistent work of the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA).
Operating under the Ministry of Women and Child Development, CARA ensures that every adoption in India is legal, ethical, and in the best interest of the child.
It also acts as the designated Central Authority for inter-country adoptions under the Hague Convention, which India ratified in 2003.
Through active ground-level work, training programs, and nationwide awareness campaigns, CARA emphasizes that adoption isn’t just a legal process, it’s an emotional, life-changing journey for both children and parents.
Prospective Adoptive Parents (PAPs) must check eligibility guidelines available on CARA’s official website before beginning their adoption journey. This ensures transparency and child safety. It’s important to remember that any illegal adoption, bypassing the due process is treated as child trafficking and is punishable under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Act, 2021.
Legal adoption protects not just the child’s rights but their entire future their identity, inheritance, safety, and dignity.
More children, more homes
Another heartening change is the growing number of children now eligible for adoption.
In 2023–24, over 8,500 children were identified and added to the adoption pool, many of whom had been waiting in childcare institutions for years.
To further support adoption, 245 new adoption agencies were registered under CARA, widening the network and ensuring a smoother, more accessible process across the country.
These numbers are not just statistics; they represent thousands of childhoods being rewritten with new hope and unconditional love.
When a family is a choice made with heart
Every adoption story is a story of courage, children daring to trust, and parents daring to love without conditions.
Whether it’s a child with special needs like Moksh or an older child who almost gave up hope, every adoption is a testament to the boundless power of love.
Today, Indian families are no longer whispering about adoption they are proudly celebrating it.
Legal adoptions are reshaping how India defines family: not just by blood, but by choice, by commitment, and by heart.
As Moksh’s little note captures so simply and perfectly: “I love you Mom because you take me out to play…
” In those small words lives a giant truth: love creates families, and love finds a way.