According to new rules, registration with the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) has now been made mandatory for adoption by inter-country relatives and stepparents.
Deputy Commissioner Anupam Kashyap said on Thursday that registration was now compulsory if anyone wished to adopt a child within his family or from relatives.
After completing all formalities, the District Magistrate would issue an adoption certificate, he added.
He said that children were often adopted by relatives and within families, leading to legal difficulties.
To simplify this system, legal parental rights were granted through the Central Adoption Resource Authority for family and kinship adoption. Therefore, people should strictly adhere to these rules to ensure a better future for children, he added.
Kashyap said, “Due to the efforts of the state government, the ‘Children of the State’ are successfully finding prospective parents for adoption. From December 20, 2022, to September 1, 2025, 25 ‘Children of the State’ have been placed for adoption to prospective parents.
The DC appealed to wealthy members of society to come forward to adopt adolescent children living in crèches and ashrams to ensure a happy and bright future for them. Inter-country adoptions by relatives and stepparent adoptions were available through an application on the CARA website, he added.
District Programme Officer, Shimla, Mamta Paul said that those who apply to adopt a child were assigned to adoptive parents based on merit. Only those who meet the rules and conditions set forth in the Act were granted the benefits.
Intra-national kinship adoption is the process by which a person residing in India legally adopts a child from a close relative (such as a sibling, uncle, aunt, grandparent or other eligible relatives). This process is carried out in accordance with the adoption regulations issued by the CARA and the provisions of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act.
Kinship adoption requires the consent of the biological parents (or legal guardians), the eligibility of the adopting parents and the verification of relevant documents.
A competent court or competent authority then issues an adoption order. Once the adoption is complete, the child receives all legal rights of the adoptive parents’ children, including parenting, education, inheritance and other statutory rights. If the child is five years of age or older, his or her consent is also obtained.
The primary objective of this process is to provide a safe, stable and family-friendly environment while protecting the child’s best interests.