Lok Sabha Question No. 1093 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-12-05
Subject: Adoption of Counselling Services
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Shri B K Parthasarathi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1093

TO BE ANSWERED ON 05.12.2025

## ADOPTION OF COUNSELLING SERVICES

## 1093. SHRI B K PARTHASARATHI:

Will the Minister of Women and Child Development be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government maintains any data regarding the number of adoption counsellors empanelled in the country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof, State-wise and district-wise in Andhra Pradesh;
- (c) whether the Government is monitoring State adoption agencies providing pre/post adoption counselling services;
- (d) if so, the details thereof along with the number of such counselling services provided during the last three years, State-wise;
- (e) whether the Government is providing training assistance to counsellors to enable them in creating  a  child-friendly/emotionally  supportive  adoption  ecosystem,  if  so,  the  details thereof indicating the number of counsellors trained, State-wise; and
- (f) whether the Government is providing financial assistance to State adoption agencies to strengthen their infrastructure, if so, the details of the funds allocated, disbursed/utilized, State-wise and year-wise?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SAVITRI THAKUR)

(a)  to  (e):  Section  68  of  the  Juvenile  Justice  (Care  and  Protection  of  Children)  Act,  2015 designates the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) as the statutory body responsible for  promoting,  regulating,  and  monitoring  adoption  of  orphaned,  abandoned,  and  surrendered children in India.

CARA, as the central regulatory body, oversees and monitors the functioning of all SARA and Specialised  Adoption  Agencies  (SAAs),  including  the  delivery  of  pre-  and  post-adoption counselling, reviews and inspections. SARAs act as the State-level nodal agencies that supervise SAAs, and ensure counsellors are in place and functioning.

CARA conducts national-level training and capacity-building programmes for counsellors and adoption  staff,  while  SARAs  organise  State-level  training  and  ensure  the  implementation  of CARA's guidelines to create a child -friendly and supportive adoption ecosystem.

However,  CARA does  not  maintain  any  State-wise  and  district-wise  database  of  empanelled adoption counsellors, number of counselling services and list of trained counsellors.

(f): This Ministry is implementing a Centrally Sponsored Scheme namely 'Mission Vatsalya', through the State and Union Territory Governments to deliver various services for Children in Need of Care and Protection (CNCP) as well as Children in Conflict with Law (CCL). These services include Institutional Care and Non-Institutional Care.  The Child Care Institutions (CCIs) established under the Mission Vatsalya scheme support, inter-alia, age-appropriate education, access to vocational training, recreation, health care, counselling etc. Under non-institutional care, support is provided to the children through Sponsorship, Foster Care, Adoption and After Care.

For  improving  quality  of  child  care  in  Child  Care  Institutions  (CCIs)  including  Specialised Adoption  Agencies  (SAAs),  this  Ministry  releases  funds  to  States  and  Union  Territories governments  under  Mission  Vatsalya.  The  State-wise  details  of  funds  released  under  Mission Vatsalya during FY 2024-25 are at Annexure.

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## ANNEXURE

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (F) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED  QUESTION  NO.  1093  FOR  ANSWER  ON  05.12.2025  BY  SHRI  B  K PARTHASARATHI REGARDING ADOPTION OF COUNSELLING SERVICES

## State-wise funds released under Mission Vatsalya Scheme for FY 2024-25

(Rs. in crores)

|   S. No. | Name of the State                  |   FY 2024-25 |
|----------|------------------------------------|--------------|
|        1 | Andhra Pradesh                     |        44.03 |
|        2 | Arunachal Pradesh                  |         5.32 |
|        3 | Assam                              |        31.39 |
|        4 | Bihar                              |        53.35 |
|        5 | Chhattisgarh                       |        39.1  |
|        6 | Goa                                |         5.14 |
|        7 | Gujarat                            |        19.5  |
|        8 | Haryana                            |         6.4  |
|        9 | Himachal Pradesh                   |        37.68 |
|       10 | Jammu &Kashmir                     |        44.75 |
|       11 | Jharkhand                          |        18.73 |
|       12 | Karnataka                          |        86.48 |
|       13 | Kerala                             |        12.03 |
|       14 | Madhya Pradesh                     |       117.24 |
|       15 | Maharashtra                        |       144.97 |
|       16 | Manipur                            |        68.15 |
|       17 | Meghalaya                          |        22.3  |
|       18 | Mizoram                            |        37.06 |
|       19 | Nagaland                           |        33.92 |
|       20 | Orissa                             |        68.83 |
|       21 | Punjab                             |        14.76 |
|       22 | Rajasthan                          |        74.98 |
|       23 | Sikkim                             |        16.21 |
|       24 | Tamil Nadu                         |       122.82 |
|       25 | Telangana                          |        36.97 |
|       26 | Tripura                            |        19.23 |
|       27 | Uttar Pradesh                      |        92.05 |
|       28 | Uttarakhand                        |        14.49 |
|       29 | West Bengal                        |        70.18 |
|       30 | Andaman &Nicobar Island            |         3.13 |
|       31 | Chandigarh                         |         7.59 |
|       32 | Dadra &Nagar Haveli and Daman &Diu |         9.91 |
|       33 | Delhi                              |         7.62 |
|       34 | Lakshadweep                        |         0    |
|       35 | Ladakh                             |         3.81 |
|       36 | Puducherry                         |         4.17 |