Kamal Ghorui
New Delhi: In view of difficulties faced by adult adoptees seeking information about their origins through the “root search” process laid out under the adoption regulations 2022, the Central Adoption Resource Authority has asked states and Union Territories to ensure that all physical and digital records are securely preserved and transferred to the designated authority or institution, and that appropriate arrangements are made for long-term safekeeping of records to facilitate root search by adoptees in the future.“Safekeeping, maintenance, or lawful transfer of such records, to prevent denial or obstruction of root search or access to records by older adoptees or other lawful stakeholders should be strictly ensured,” CARA has said in the office memorandum on the policy clarification regarding safekeeping, maintenance and transfer of records of children and adoptees for future reference and root search purposes.CARA states that “it has been noted that issues are arising in cases where older adoptees approach the concerned authorities for root search as envisaged under Regulation 47(2) of the Adoption Regulations, 2022 and the requisite records are not available with the concerned institution.”The authority states that it has been observed that in some cases, records are unavailable because the concerned Specialised Adoption Agency (SAA) or Child Care Institution (CCI) has been closed, de-registered, merged, or its functions transferred to another institution, leading to loss or misplacement of records.In this backdrop and to ensure uniformity in implementation, member secretary and CEO, CARA Bhavna Saxena has reiterated in the memorandum that the “obligation to maintain, preserve, and safeguard records of children and adoptees shall continue irrespective of the operational status of the SAA or CCI”.States and UTs have been told to ensure that “all physical and digital records are securely preserved and transferred to the designated authority or institution, and that appropriate arrangements are made for long-term safekeeping of records to facilitate root search by older adoptees in the future”.
