CARA to appraise all 63 adoption agencies in Maharashtra

PUNE: The 63 adoption agencies in the state would be graded according to their performance in a new initiative to be carried out by Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA).
From platinum to gold, the ratings would help determine the functioning of these agencies in the state.
Of the 476 adoption agencies functioning across the country, most are from Maharashtra followed by Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.All the agencies would be assessed to ensure that they follow rules and carry out the adoption process as per norms.

“We will chalk out 12-13 parameters for all agencies in the country. They will mainly be classified according to the number of adoptions carried out and the speed with which the process is executed. How quickly do they obtain court orders and the volume of adoptions are all part of the assessment process,’’ Lt Col Deepak Kumar, CEO of CARA, told TOI.
The main crux of the issue would be about management and handling of children and the services provided to parents pre-adoption and post adoption. All of these would be rated. “While the exercise is mainly to award good agencies, it will also weed out under performing or non-performing agencies. It is time that such an exercise is carried out to bring about a stricter control on these agencies,’’ added Kumar.
The performing agencies would also be awarded with cash prizes. With states such as Maharashtra topping the number of agencies (about 700 a year), followed by Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, these states would also be awarded cash prize for performance.