Chennai: RTI exposes discrepancies in adoption data

Chennai: Discrepant responses to the same question in RTIs filed in a span of five months by a city-based activist have brought to light the shoddy record maintenance by the Directorate of Social Welfare.

Child rights activist, A Narayanan of Change India, through an RTI, had asked for the number of children adopted in Tamil from 2011 to 2016. In the response dated February 22, 2017, the number of children adopted in the years 2013 – 2014, 2014- 2015 and 2015 – 2016 was stated as 185, 190 and 188.

Photo shows the data received as a response to an RTI in September 2016, which doesn't match with the data received in February this year. (Photo: DC)

But, according to an earlier reply dated September 22, 2016, to an RTI query requesting the budget utilization and the number of children put to adoption in the same years, the numbers read 235, 239, and 226, respectively.

“How do we know which data to believe? This shows how poorly they have maintained records. This is unacceptable that the social welfare department doesn’t have proper data keeping and documenting the  process,” said the activist.

The RTI responses received last month also showed that only 11 recognized Specialized Adoption Agencies (SAA) are there in the state. But the Central Adoption Resource Agency (CARA) website continues to show 14 SAAs, which means three agencies without recognition are still shown online, which would mislead a lot of potential individuals looking to adopt children.

“There is no information about the fate of children, who were kept in these centers that are no longer recognized and if they have been shifted to other recognized SAAs for adoption,” the activist said.

The three institutions are Anantha Asram, Hosur, SOCSEAD, Trichy and Society for Rural Dev Promotion Services-Adoption Home, Vellore district, which he added were housing 59 children in total.

 A former deputy director of the state social welfare department said that it could be possible that the three agencies are in the process of getting licenses renewed.Officials from the social welfare department were not available for a comment.