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Taking cognisance of the recent cases of illegal adoptions carried out by Missionaries of Charity in Jharkhand, Union Minister for Women and Child Development (WCD) Maneka Gandhi on Monday instructed all states to conduct immediate inspection of all the child care homes run by the missionary.
According to media reports, a nun and a woman employee at Nirmal Hriday in Ranchi, run by Mother Teresa’s charity, were arrested earlier in July for their alleged involvement in selling babies to the highest bidder for adoption.
Gandhi also directed the states to ensure that all child care institutions (CCIs) were registered and linked to the country’s apex adoption body within a month.
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The mandatory registration of CCIs and linking to CARA has been provided in the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 which came into force more than two years ago but some orphanages had challenged its validity, an official in the Women and Child Development Ministry said.
In a statement released on Monday, the ministry said Gandhi had ordered all the states to get the child care homes run by the organisation inspected immediately.
A shelter home run by the MoC in Ranchi has allegedly been involved in “selling” three children and “giving away” another one.
Approximately 2,300 CCIs have been linked to CARA since December last year, while about 4,000 more are still pending for linkage.
Gandhi has expressed displeasure over the fact that children in the 2,300 institutions linked to CARA were yet to be brought under an adoption system.
“The Minister is expected to take this issue very strongly in the meeting of the WCD Ministers of States scheduled to be held on July 17,” said a statement.
According to the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), as many as 2,32,937 children are currently under the care of CCIs — both registered and unregistered — in the country.
(With agency inputs)
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