Arun Kumar | September 25, 2015
An NGO called ‘Palna’ has been cradling abandoned, destitute, physically or mentally challenged children for decades. Set up in 1978, the NGO is run by the Delhi council for child welfare (DCCW). A cradle is kept near the entrance of the orphanage in north Delhi where parents leave their unwanted newborns. The infants are usually in precarious health with low birth weight, hypothermia, trauma and congenital defects. Embracing these children, the NGO nurtures them by providing round-the-clock medical facilities, healthy diet and, as they grow up, non-formal educational sessions. On average, Palna looks after 90-100 children daily ranging in age from new-borns to eight-year-olds. The NGO also has an adoption centre and children are given for adoption only after a thorough background check of the prospective parents. Palna also has a special centre to look after differently-abled children. Children with special needs find a safe haven in Palna as they are unlikely to be taken up for adoption. Others, when they turn eight, are sent to an orphanage if they are not adopted. So far, Palna has placed over 2,800 children in loving families. Aware of the social taboo in the country regarding adoption, Palna is also open for adoption by foreign families.
The other side
Despite revised guidelines which make the adoption process hassle-free and transparent there has been a decline in the adoption rate in the country.
5,693
Children adopted in 2010
5,964
Children adopted in 2011
4,694
Children adopted during 2012-13
3,924
Children adopted during 2013-14
3,988
Children adopted between April 2014 and March 2015
Source: CARA
Photos by Arun Kumar
Public sector undertakings (PSUs) can become more efficient only through discipline, said Anil Swarup, secretary, department of school education and literacy, ministry of human resource development. Speaking at the 2nd India PSU IT Forum organised by Governance Now on Wednesdaty, Swarup laid
Tejas Express, a semi-high speed train, is supposed to run at 200 kmph. But, on its inaugural run between Mumbai to Karmali (Goa), it touched a maximum speed of 110 kmph. A few days before it was flagged off by railway minister Suresh Prabhu on May 22, Indian Railways claimed that the train
The National Human Rights Commission has issued a notice to the Jharkhand government and sought a report over 1,000 children being reportedly abducted and recruited by Maoists over the past few years. The commission cited a news article and said that it brings forth the sta
In 1998, as a 12-year-old, I was fascinated by the spectacle on display in the streets of Chandni Chowk, where I grew up, during the Chaudhvin Ka Chand festival, which recreated the Mugh
What restricts MOOCs’ acceptance despite having credits? It is just a matter of time. India has been used to the traditional way of education. However, the fact that India is the second biggest learner base for edX, after the United States, speaks volumes ab
Sameer Srivastava, a school topper from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, wanted to study in an IIT like any other engineering aspirant. But getting into an institution where only less than one percent of the applicants are selected was a big hurdle. Not cutting the IIT mark, Sameer decided to settle for an
