Adoption is no longer an act of bringing a child home but it is a legal process where all the rights and privileges of a child are safeguarded along with the transfer of responsibilities to adoptive parents in a legal manner said Union Minister of Women and Child Development (WCD), Smriti Zubin Irani in New Delhi today. She further said that a large number of parents are waiting to adopt, even as the total number of reported adoptions is less when compared to the figures of destitute and orphan children in the country. The WCD Minister was speaking at the National Consultation on Adoption organized by Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA), a statutory body of Ministry of Women and Child Development.Smriti Zubin Irani urged all stakeholders that deliberations must lead to the way forward in order to improve the implementation of the adoption programme thereby ensuring the best interest of the children. She further said that the Government is committed to take all measures to ensure a bright future for the children of the country.
Officials and stakeholders from all States and UTs participated in the consultations. Major issues deliberated upon during the national consultation were simplification of the adoption process, bringing more children in need of care and protection into the adoption pool, rehabilitation of older and special needs children and issues related to adoption being faced by the implementing agencies and state bodies. The consultation was attended by Secretary WCD, Rabindra Panwar, CEO and Member Secretary CARA, Deepak Kumar and other senior officials from the Government of India.