Government to notify rules easing adoptions

New Delhi, September 14

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The Centre is all set to notify new regulations to ease adoption by NRIs under the Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act (HAMA).

The Adoption Amendment Regulations 2021, vetted by the Law Ministry, will ensure that the Central Adoption Resource Agency (CARA), which regulates adoptions under the Juvenile Justice Act, speedily grants no-objection certificates to prospective parents who opt for inter-country adoption under the HAMA.

At present, there are two routes for inter country adoption in India – one through the JJ Act which CARA regulates and the other under the HAMA.

The Women and Child Development Ministry has been receiving several complaints from NRIs who have had to wait for years to get CARA’s clearance to take home children adopted under HAMA.

“CARA was so far not recognising inter-country adoptions under the HAMA due to an anomaly whereby CARA ruled that HAMA adoptions did not comply with the Hague Convention, which basically seeks to prevent trafficking. We took up the matter with the Law Ministry which said there was no anomaly,” said a top WCD ministry source. — TNS