West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday extended support to the Mother Teresa-founded Missionaries of Charity which has voluntarily given up its status to run adoption homes in India."We fully support Missionaries of Charity and Sister Prema in their decision to opt out of the adoption programme. They have a right to do so. Essence of India is unity in diversity. This is the pillar of our great nation," said Banerjee.Citing difficulty in complying with the new adoption rules notified by the government in July, the Missionaries of Charity on Saturday made public its decision of discontinuing adoption work in India since the past two months."We have voluntarily given up our recognised status to run adoption centres.
"This decision was arrived soon after we received the new 'Guidelines Governing Adoption of Children, 2015' issued under a notification from the union ministry of women and child development," the Missionaries of Charity said in a statement.
While the Missionaries of Charity did not specify its opposition to any particular provision, the new guidelines notified in July have made single parents (separated, divorced, unwed mothers) eligible to adopt through online registration.The organisation runs 16 orphanages in India under the name of Nirmala Shishu Bhawan, providing shelter, food, medical care and schooling to abandoned and destitute children. Of this 13 were authorised by the government to run adoption centres.