Child Adoption Regulatory Authority (CARA):
- Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) is the nodal body for adoption of Indian children.
- It regulates in-country and inter-country adoptions (in accordance with the provisions of The Hague Convention on Inter-Country Adoption, 1993, ratified by Government of India in 2003).
- Status: It is an autonomous body of the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development.
- The mandatory registration of CCIs and linking to CARA has been provided in Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.
Adoption by live-in couples:
- In May 2018, CARA issued a circular barring applicant in a live-in relationship from adopting a child on the ground that a live-in relationship cannot be considered as stable family.
- However, now it has decided to withdraw the circular and applications from prospective adoptive parents will be examined on a case-by-case basis.
