Central Adoption Resource Agency (CARA) today launched a web-based information management system which will link all adoption agencies across the country to make the process of adopting children more transparent.

The website "Carings" will be monitored online by CARA and also provide a national database to enable policy making in this regard.

Launching the website here, Minister for Women and Child Development Krishna Tirath said, prospective parents can access a list of adoptive children, their health status, their photographs and even the condition in which they were given up for adoption.

Similarly, there would be a separate list of prospective parents, a waiting list and the status of their application. The website would also provide registration, status tracking and matching of child and parent compatibility.

CARA would take quarterly reports on the child. If the report is delayed it would be followed up with the foreign agencies responsible.

"It will make a big difference to the adoption process in the country," Tirath said, adding the website was facilitated as the Ministry was getting a lot of complaints regarding the process of adoption from people across the country.

The ministry added that the guidelines are being amended to protect adopted children.

All the dossiers of foreign parents would be screened at the CARA.

So far, out of the total 326 adoption agencies across the country, 172 have registered with "Carings". As of now, 164 are left, which are on way to signing the Memorandums of Understandings (MoU).

A senior CARA official said that the fees for both domestic and foreign adoptions are also being revised. While, for domestic adoptions, the fees would be increased from Rs 25,000 to 45,000, for foreign adoption the jump would be from USD 3,500 to USD 5,000.

The government under the Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) is also setting up state agencies to coordinate with CARA.

"So far except Jammu and Kashmir and Andaman and Nicobar Islands, all other states have signed MoUs for the purpose," Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development D K Sikri said.

In the last year, a total of 5,693 children were adopted inside the country, while 593 were adopted by foreign parents.