By IANS
New Delhi : The United States led all other countries in the number of children adopted from India, with no-objection certificates issued for 945 cases between 2004 and 2006, parliament was informed Wednesday.
According to Women and Child Development Minister Renuka Chowdhury, Americans received permission from the Central Adoption Resource Agency (CARA) for 322 adoptions in 2004, 296 in 2005 and 327 last year.
Italy was next with 419 adoptions between 2004 and 2006, followed by 301 from Spain, 194 from Denmark, 123 from Sweden, 86 from Switzerland, 79 from Germany, 72 from Belgium, 68 from Australia, 63 from the UAE and 60 from Norway.
The information provided by the minister to a query from MPs Ananta Nayak and G. Karunakara Reddy clearly showed that adoption of Indian children were not restricted to countries with sizeable population of the Indian diaspora.
The minister also told the Lok Sabha, the lower house of parliament, that there were no adverse reports, or information, of Indian children being sold illegally to foreign nationals in the name of adoption.
"CARA, the organisation for regulating inter-country adoption, has not received any such report," the minister said, adding the guidelines for adoption framed in 2006 provided for safeguards for inter-country adoption of Indian children.