Child adoption in Bengaluru sees 72% rise between 2020-25: Study
Bengaluru: Child adoptions in Bengaluru have surged by nearly 72% over the past five years, from 2020–21 to 2024–25, according to data from the State Adoption Resource Authority (SARA) cited by Deccan Herald on Wednesday. Across Karnataka, the increase stood at around 20% during the same period.
The state currently has 21 government-run and 24 privately-run specialised adoption agencies.
Officials quoted in the report attributed the rise to growing awareness and acceptance of adoption among couples compared to previous years. However, they also highlighted a significant mismatch between the number of children available for adoption and the number of prospective parents waiting.
“There are currently close to 2,279 parents waiting to get a kid for adoption and there are only 27 normal kids and 55 special needs kids available for adoption. There is a huge gap and parents have had to wait a long time,” DH quoted Arundhati T.S., Deputy Director, State Adoption Resource Authority (SARA),as saying.
The minimum waiting period for adoptive parents is around two years, and it can extend further depending on their preferences. Arundhati explained that parents can choose two states based on their background or even cluster of states, like they can choose their preference as South India. As the number of states increases, the options they get also increases and this might reduce their waiting period.
An official quoted by DH further noted a gradual shift in adoption patterns. While most applicants are still couples unable to conceive, there has been an increase in unmarried people expressing interest in adopting and becoming single parents.
As November marks National Adoption Awareness Month, it has been observed that most adoptive parents prefer children under five, believing it helps in early bonding. The preference for gender remains evenly split, though officials have noted a steady rise in interest in adopting girl children in recent years.
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Odisha: Normalcy returns to violence-hit Malkangiri; internet services fully restored
Malkangiri (PTI): Normalcy returned to Odisha’s Malkangiri district on Monday, nearly a week after around 200 villages were damaged in violent clashes in a village, with the district administration fully restoring internet services, a senior official said.
Additional District Magistrate Bedabar Pradhan said internet services, suspended across the district on December 8 to curb the spread of rumours and misinformation following the clashes, were restored after the situation improved.
The suspension had been extended in phases till 12 noon on Monday.
The administration also withdrew prohibitory orders imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita within a 10-km radius of MV-26 village, where arson incidents were reported on December 7 and December 8.
Though the violence was confined to two villages, tension had gripped the entire district, as the incident took the form of a clash between local tribals and Bengali settlers following the recovery of a headless body of a woman on December 4, officials said.
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The violence broke out after residents of Rakhelguda village allegedly set ablaze several houses belonging to Bengali residents, forcing hundreds to flee. The headless body of Lake Podiami (51), a woman from the Koya tribe, was recovered from the banks of the Poteru river on December 4, while her head was found six days later at a location about 15 km away.
Officials said the district administration held several rounds of discussions with representatives of the tribal and Bengali communities, following which both sides agreed to maintain peace.
Relief and rehabilitation work has since been launched at MV-26 village, with preliminary assessment pegging property damage at around Rs 3.8 crore.
A two-member ministerial team headed by Deputy Chief Minister K V Singh Deo visited the affected village, interacted with officials and locals, and submitted a report to the chief minister.
So far, 18 people have been arrested in connection with the violence, the officials said, adding that despite the withdrawal of prohibitory orders and restoration of internet services, security forces, including BSF and CRPF personnel, continue to be deployed to prevent any untoward incident.
On Sunday, Nabarangpur MP Balabhadra Majhi visited MV-26 and neighbouring Rakhelguda villages, and held discussions with members of both communities as part of efforts to rebuild confidence and restore peace.
More than two lakh Bengali-speaking Bangladeshis were rehabilitated by the Centre in Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts in 1968, and they currently reside in 124 villages of Malkangiri.
