Overturning its previous rule, Child Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) has now allowed the individuals in a live-in relationship to adopt children from and within India, provided, the couple needs to be financially, physically and mentally fit to raise a child.
As reported by a national publication The Hindu, the decision was taken at the last meeting of the steering committee of CARA chaired by RK Shrivastava, Women and Child Development Ministry Secretary. “We have decided to withdraw the circular and applications from prospective adoptive parents will be examined on a case-by-case basis,” said Shrivastava, adding that the move will benefit both domestic and international applicants.
CARA, which is India’s nodal adoption agency, had issued a circular earlier this year barring applicants in a live-in relationship from adopting a kid on the ground that “the Authority would like the children to be placed only with a stable family and individuals in a live-in relationship cannot be considered as stable family.”
The eligibility criteria under Adoption Regulations, 2017, permit single women to adopt a child of any gender, while single men can adopt only boys. When a married couple seeks to adopt a child, it needs to give its consent for adoption and should be in a stable marriage for at least two years. Applicants have to be physically, mentally and financially stable to raise a child.
