Change adoption policy to favour NRIs……Vijaysinh Parmar
RAJKOT: The rules of adoption should not differ for Indians, whether they are living abroad or in the country. There are many childless NRIs who would like to adopt a child from India, but are deterred because they have to follow intra-country guidelines meant for foreigners, often delaying the entire procedure.
This is a suggestion of Kathiawar Nirashrit Balashram in Rajkot, one of the most popular adoption centres in the state, to Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) in a letter written recently.
“At present, intra-country guidelines of 2006 for adoption apply to those who have Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) or are NRIs. For example, I know of an engineer couple that has immovable property in Ahmedabad and both hold Indian passports. But under the current guidelines, they have to go through the intra-country guideline (2006) which makes the task of adoption difficult,” says CT Parikh, a retired district and sessions judge and chairman of the adoption committee of the orphanage.
“In 2006, when the adoption guidelines were issued, concepts like dual citizenship for NRIs and other Indians living abroad did not exist. However, now the central government has started giving out dual citizenship and also OCI cards. The question therefore is whether such Indians with dual citizenship can be treated as foreigners when they are being given the same status as an citizen living in the country,” Parikh added.
Foreign nationals who want to adopt children from India have to apply through CARA, an autonomous body under the Union ministry of social justice and empowerment, which has a list of recognised institutions from which children can be adopted. CARA sends the applications to the various orphanages in the country. Indian nationals, on the other hand, can apply straight to the various institutions and pick up the child they like.