Inspect all Mother Teresa child homes: Maneka Gandhi

Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi has asked all states to immediately inspect the childcare homes run by the Missionaries of Charity (MoC), founded by Mother Teresa. It has also directed the states to ensure all childcare institutions (CCIs) are registered and linked to the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) within a month. The move comes after cases of alleged illegal adoptions came to light recently in Jharkhand. Staffers from a MoC shelter home in Ranchi allegedly sold three children and gave one away.

According to the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, registration of childcare institutions and linking with CARA is mandatory, but some orphanages have challenged the validity of the clause. Approximately 2,300 CCIs have been linked to CARA since December, while about 4,000 are still pending. Gandhi has expressed displeasure over the fact that the children in the 2,300 institutions linked to CARA are yet to be brought under an adoption system.