“The number of parents wanting to adopt children is far more than the number of children at our agencies,” said Jagannth Pati, Deputy Director of the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA), which is organising an international conference on child adoption here.

“This is mainly because a large number of children do not fall into the adoption loop. We are trying to take correct that,” he told The Indian Express.

Adoption is a tedious procedure in India and it requires elaborate paperwork. Families often prefer to adopt children from hospitals and nursing homes although it does not have the sanction of law. However, the Government is now trying to cut down on red tapeism and simplify the process by introducing some important legislations.

The Integrated Child Protection Scheme of the Ministry of Women and Child Development and the Juvenile Justice Act, both due for implementation in the near future, seek to establish an elaborate system of adoption by going down to the district level.

Under the proposed arrangement, a State Adoption Resource Authority (SARA) will be established in every state. This will function on the lines of CARA. Also, a Child Protection Unit and a recognised adoption agency is planned for each district.

“This arrangement will not just help in bringing a lot more destitute children into the adoption loop, but also create a professional database of children and families willing to adopt them. At present, there is lack of reliable data on all fronts,” said Parvesh Kumar, consultant to the Ministry of Women and Child Development. CARA Chairman J K Mittal said there was a marked change in attitude among Indian families regarding adoption, and now there is also a healthy demand for girl child.

He said active participation of state governments was required to make the adoption programmea success.