Bhagalpur: Bhagalpur district has recorded more than 70 adoptions and handovers of orphaned and abandoned children to families following the completion of legal formalities for the adoption of an 11-month-old boy by a Kolkata couple.Bhagalpur district magistrate Alankrita Pandey said the boy was handed over to the couple on Friday after completion of all legal procedures under statutory provisions. The adoption was carried out under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 and Adoption Regulations, 2022, facilitated by the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA), New Delhi, through the Mission Vatsalya digital platform and CARINGS portal.The framework prioritises family-based care over institutional rehabilitation and aims to ensure the emotional, social and cognitive development of children through permanent family placement, Pandey said. It follows a transparent, child-centric mechanism for matching orphaned, abandoned and surrendered children with prospective adoptive parents.The Kolkata couple, who had waited nearly five years for a biological child, expressed joy after the adoption, saying their family was now complete. “Maa Durga has brought laughter and joy in their family,” Pandey said, quoting the family.Assistant director of the district child protection unit (ADDCPU) Baby Rani said the Special Adoption Institute in Bhagalpur had handed over more than 70 children through legal adoption. The identities of adopted children and families are kept confidential for privacy.Rani urged childless couples to register through the Mission Vatsalya portal with the required documents, including PAN, Aadhaar, marriage, medical fitness, police verification and income certificates.
