Strongly objecting to the Woman and Child Development Ministry's proposal for inter-country adoptions of orphans, a Parliamentary panel said that such an option may be exercised as a last resort, when there is a problem finding suitable prospective parents within the country.
Disapproving the proposal introduced in the revised Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Bill, 2014 tabled in the Parliament last year, the parliamentary panel termed it "unacceptable", it said all efforts should be made to give a child to an Indian parent.
"The provision 60(1) that allows the child for inter- country adoption after one month is unacceptable. Inter- country adoption may be resorted to only in cases where there is a problem in finding suitable prospective adoptive parents due to special need of the child," the Parliamentary Standing Committee on HRD said.
The committee said that in the event an adopting agency cannot find an Indian parent on their wait list roster, there should be a mechanism to intimate other adoption agencies about the availability of a child in their adoptive centres.
Moreover, the inter-country adoption should be made only by ensuring that it is used "appropriately" through proper regulation and importantly through the ratification of the Hague convention, it underlined.
The committee also strongly objected to a clause that declares an orphan legally free for adoption if he or she could not be placed with an Indian prospective adoptive parents or NRI despite joint efforts of specialised adoption agency and state agencies within 30 days.