Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA)
Why in News?
The Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) is in the news because official launch of its nationwide 2026 adoption awareness initiative themed "Say No to Illegal Adoption!" by CEO Bhavna Saxena.
About CARA: Core Institutional Framework
- Nodal Status: It serves as the apex, central governing authority for the adoption of Indian children.
- Parent Ministry: It functions directly under the administrative control of the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD).
- Statutory Authority: Conferred autonomous statutory status via Section 68 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.
- Hague Convention Signatory: Designated as the official Central Authority for inter-country adoptions under the 1993 Hague Convention, which India ratified in 2003.
- Target Demographics: Primarily regulates the care, rehab, and placement of orphaned, abandoned, and surrendered (OAS) children.
Primary Functions and Operations
- Dual Monitoring Role: Mandated to strictly regulate and oversee both internal (in-country) and international (inter-country) adoption procedures.
- CARINGS Portal Management: Operates the centralized digital database system called Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System (CARINGS) to match prospective parents with children.
- Institutional Supervision: Controls and tracks auxiliary entities like State Adoption Resource Agencies (SARA) and Specialised Adoption Agencies (SAA).
- Home Suitability Auditing: Oversees the generation of mandatory Home Study Reports (HSR) conducted by ground-level agencies before approving any family.
- Post-Adoption Tracking: Conducts sustained web-based and physical follow-ups for a mandatory period of 2 years after a child is legally integrated into a family.
Legal and Eligibility Criteria
- In-Country Priority: Under global convention rules, children are mandatory-first offered to domestic Indian families before foreign applicants are considered.
- Live-in Couples: CARA rules extend the right to register and adopt to individuals living in verified live-in relationships.
- HAMA vs. JJ Act Distinction: While CARA regulates public adoptions via the Juvenile Justice Act, traditional personal law adoptions for Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and Buddhists also co-exist under the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act (HAMA), 1956.
