Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Finding a home: On India’s adoption policy

Finding a home: On India’s adoption policy

The established (स्थापित, स्वीकृत, पारंपरिक) adoption (गोद लेना, दत्तक-ग्रहण, स्वीकरण) process should not be bypassed (circumvent, avoid, dodge, escape, sidestep) to increase the numbers

Policy intervention (नीतिगत हस्तक्षेप) without knowledge of the ground realities (जमीनी हकीकत, व्यावहारिक स्थिति) often ends up as an exercise in self-gratification (आत्म संतुष्टि, संयम की कमी) for those in authority (rule, power, dominion) and results in (परिणाम होना, नेतृत्व करना, कारण बनाना) little or no benefit for the intended target group. Wanting to do good must be matched by knowing the right thing to do in the circumstance (परिस्थिति, स्थिति), and in the case of children, be guided by child-centric (बच्चे केंद्रित) policies. Whether the recent recommendation of a parliamentary panel to bring more abandoned children into the adoption process will fulfil these parameters is an issue that warrants (justify, vindicate, call for, sanction, validate; guarantee, affirm, support) further discussion. A recent report, “Review of Guardianship (संरक्षण, मार्गदर्शन, समर्थन) and Adoption Laws”, by the Parliamentary Standing Committee (it is a committee (consisting of Members of Parliament) constituted usually on an annual basis to enable detailed consideration/discussion on all bills (all proposed laws)) on Personnel (कार्मिक, मानव संसाधन), Public Grievances (जन शिकायत, आलोचना, आपत्ति) and Law and Justice has pointed to (इंगित करना, संकेत करना) the huge mismatch between the number of people wanting to adopt (गोद लेना) children and the number of children legally available for adoption, and suggested that the way to remedy (solution, answer, antidote/panacea) that would be to ensure that “orphan (अनाथ) and abandoned (त्यागा हुआ, उपेक्षित, अस्वीकृत) children found begging on the streets… are made available for adoption at the earliest (as soon as possible, without delay, in a very quick time)”. To do so, it has suggested periodic (repeated, regular, cyclical, continual) district surveys to identify children who are orphaned/abandoned. The report argued that in a country with millions of orphans (cause (a child) to become an orphan (a child who lost his/her parents)), only 2,430 children were available for adoption. It is true that there are always more people wanting to adopt children than the number of children actually available for adoption; it has been so historically (normally, generally, typically), but the increasing chasm (a clear difference between two people/groups’ thoughts, feelings, opinions, etc.; divergence, disunion, gulf, void, gap), as the report indicates, will undoubtedly (unquestionably, indisputably, undeniably, doubtlessly) have to be addressed (tackle, deal with, attend to, try to sort out). According to the report, there were 27,939 prospective (potential, possible, likely, future, probable) parents registered with the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) (a statutory body of Ministry of Women & Child Development, Government of India. It functions as the nodal body for adoption of Indian children and is mandated to monitor and regulate in-country and inter-country adoptions. CARA is designated as the Central Authority to deal with inter-country adoptions in accordance with the provisions of the Hague Convention on Inter-country Adoption, 1993, ratified by Government of India in 2003. CARA primarily deals with adoption of orphan, abandoned and surrendered children through its associated /recognised adoption agencies) as on December 2021, from nearly 18,000 in 2017. There were 6,996 orphaned, abandoned and surrendered children residing in childcare institutions considered adoptable, but only 2,430 were declared legally free for adoption by Child Welfare Committees (The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 makes it mandatory to establish one Child Welfare Committee in each district as the final authority to dispose of cases for the care, protection, treatment, development and rehabilitation of children in need of care & protection and to provide for their basic needs and protection of human rights). It claimed that the waiting time for adoption had increased to three years from one year, in the past five years. The total number of children adopted in 2021-22 was only 3,175.

But the process of adoption in the country was tightened (make stricter, make more rigorous, make more stringent, stiffen, toughen, heighten) — procedurally and legally — in response to rampant (widespread, present everywhere/pervasive, unrestrained/out of control) malpractices (misconduct, wrongdoing, unethical behaviour, unprofessionalism) and inter (between)-country adoption rackets (criminal activity, illegal scheme, fraud). CARA was installed as the nodal (relating to a node (junction/intersection) in a network) body (association, organization, group, federation) for in-country and inter-country adoptions, to monitor and regulate (supervise, oversee, inspect, administer) the process, ensuring through stringent (strict, severe, extreme, rigorous) rules that the adoption is in the best interests (benefit to, to the advantage of, for the sake of) of the child, and no illegality is involved. While the parliamentary committee has interpreted (mean, understand, read, infer, conclude, suppose) that there is automatic happiness when a child in an institution is placed in a home, it is important to exercise caution. No doubt, the country should take care of its children orphaned due to circumstances, but even as it acknowledges (accept, recognize, realize) that institutionalisation (the process of establishing something as a practice/custom/norm in an organization or culture) may be detrimental (harmful, damaging, unfavourable, dangerous, destructive, ruinous) over the long term, it should pay equal attention to the finer aspects (detail, particular, factor, feature, element) of child care, and allow itself to be guided by a child-centric philosophy. There are no shortcuts (an alternative route) in ensuring orphaned children come to no harm (be undamaged, be unharmed, be unhurt).

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.adoption (noun)

Hindi Meaning - गोद लेना, दत्तक-ग्रहण, स्वीकरण
English Meaning - a legal process that allows someone to become the parent of a child, even though the adopter and child are not related by blood.

2.established (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - स्थापित, स्वीकृत, पारंपरिक
English Meaning - accepted, traditional, entrenched, well known, recognized, acclaimed, esteemed, acknowledged.

3.policy intervention (noun)

Hindi Meaning - नीतिगत हस्तक्षेप
English Meaning - it involves any course of action, programme or activity taken or mandated by national or international authorities and non-state actors. (non-state actor is an individual or organization that has significant political influence).

4.ground reality (noun)

Hindi Meaning - जमीनी हकीकत, व्यावहारिक स्थिति
English Meaning - practical condition/situation.

5.self-gratification (noun)

Hindi Meaning - आत्म संतुष्टि, संयम की कमी
English Meaning - lack of restraint, excessiveness, self-indulgence.

6.result in (verb)

Hindi Meaning - परिणाम होना, नेतृत्व करना, कारण बनाना
English Meaning - lead to, cause, bring on.

7.circumstance (noun)

Hindi Meaning - परिस्थिति, स्थिति
English Meaning - condition, situation, state of affairs, position.

8.child-centric (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - बच्चे केंद्रित
English Meaning - concentrated about/focused on child.

9.guardianship (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संरक्षण, मार्गदर्शन, समर्थन
English Meaning - protection, guidance, support, backing.

10.personnel (noun)

Hindi Meaning - कार्मिक, मानव संसाधन
English Meaning - human resources, people, men and women.

11.Public Grievance (noun)

Hindi Meaning - जन शिकायत, आलोचना, आपत्ति
English Meaning - complaint, criticism, objection, protestation, charge, protest (by the people as a whole).

12.point to (phrasal verb)

Hindi Meaning - इंगित करना, संकेत करना
English Meaning - indicate, suggest, signal, signify, denote, reveal.

13.adopt (verb)

Hindi Meaning - गोद लेना
English Meaning - (of a legal act of an adopter) takes a child and brings it up as his/her own child.

14.orphan (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अनाथ
English Meaning - parentless child; a child who lost his/her parents.

15.abandoned (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - त्यागा हुआ, उपेक्षित, अस्वीकृत
English Meaning - neglected, rejected.

16.bypass (verb)

English Meaning - circumvent, avoid, dodge, escape, sidestep.

17.intervention (noun)

English Meaning - the process of intervening in something; involvement, interference.

18.end up (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - finish up, turn up, come/appear, find oneself (to a particular course of action in the end).

19.authority (noun)

English Meaning - rule, power, dominion.

20.Parliamentary Standing Committee/Parliamentary panel (noun)

English Meaning - it is a committee (consisting of Members of Parliament) constituted usually on an annual basis to enable detailed consideration/discussion on all bills (all proposed laws).

21.warrant (verb)

English Meaning - justify, vindicate, call for, sanction, validate; guarantee, affirm, support.

22.mismatch (noun)

English Meaning - discrepancy, inconsistency, contradiction.

23.remedy (noun)

English Meaning - solution, answer, antidote/panacea.

24.at the earliest (phrase)

English Meaning - as soon as possible, without delay, in a very quick time.

25.periodic (adjective)

English Meaning - repeated, regular, cyclical, continual.

26.orphan (verb)

English Meaning - cause (a child) to become an orphan (a child who lost his/her parents).

27.historically (adverb)

English Meaning - normally, generally, typically.

28.chasm (noun)

English Meaning - a clear difference between two people/groups’ thoughts, feelings, opinions, etc.; divergence, disunion, gulf, void, gap.

29.undoubtedly (adverb)

English Meaning - unquestionably, indisputably, undeniably, doubtlessly.

30.address (verb)

English Meaning - tackle, deal with, attend to, try to sort out.

31.prospective (adjective)

English Meaning - potential, possible, likely, future, probable.

32.Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) (noun)

English Meaning - a statutory body of Ministry of Women & Child Development, Government of India. It functions as the nodal body for adoption of Indian children and is mandated to monitor and regulate in-country and inter-country adoptions. CARA is designated as the Central Authority to deal with inter-country adoptions in accordance with the provisions of the Hague Convention on Inter-country Adoption, 1993, ratified by Government of India in 2003. CARA primarily deals with adoption of orphan, abandoned and surrendered children through its associated /recognised adoption agencies.

33.Child Welfare Committee (noun)

English Meaning - The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 makes it mandatory to establish one Child Welfare Committee in each district as the final authority to dispose of cases for the care, protection, treatment, development and rehabilitation of children in need of care & protection and to provide for their basic needs and protection of human rights.

34.tighten (verb)

English Meaning - make stricter, make more rigorous, make more stringent, stiffen, toughen, heighten.

35.rampant (adjective)

English Meaning - widespread, present everywhere/pervasive, unrestrained/out of control.

36.malpractice (noun)

English Meaning - misconduct, wrongdoing, unethical behaviour, unprofessionalism.

37.inter- (prefix)

English Meaning - between.

38.racket (noun)

English Meaning - criminal activity, illegal scheme, fraud.

39.nodal (adjective)

English Meaning - relating to a node (junction/intersection) in a network.