28-year-old single man becomes the first Indian to adopt a child with special needs

Aditya Tiwari from Indore adopted a child suffering from Down's syndrome on January 1!

A 28-year-old single man from Indore has become the youngest Indian to adopt a child with special needs. Aditya Tiwari who has been fighting to adopt a toddler suffering from Down's syndrome for more than a year was given the custody of the child in the New Year.

Aditya works for an MNC in Pune and was trying to adopt Binney who is one-and-a-half-year-old since September 2014. Binney suffers from a genetic disorder and also has a hole in his heart. Aditya had to fight the authorities for the adoption as the old norms did not allow single parents below 30 to adopt. Read: Flipkart s 50K for adoption could change the way you think

However, adoption rules changed on 1st August last year and brought down the age to 25. But, Aditya's struggle did not end there, he had to wait for five months before the child was handed over to him. According to reports, Binney has been renamed Avnish Tiwari and will now live with Aditya in Pune.

It was also reported Union women and child development (WCD) minister Maneka Gandhi had also intervened in the matter and had instructed authorities to hand over the child to him on August 27.

Aditya also said that despite the support from Women and Child Development Ministry, Central Adoption resource Authority (CARA) and State Adoption resource Authority (SARA), the Adoption agency, Matruchaya did not proactively help him during the process. He believes that this will deter other single parents like him from adopting children.

Adoption is not very common in the country and it also not easily accepted. It is mostly done by couples who cannot bear a child of their own and is mostly a last resort. However, Aditya has set an example by adopting a child with special especially when he's unmarried.

Here are some do's and don'ts one needs to follow while adopting a child.

Dos--

• One should only adopt from Specialised Adoption Agencies (SAAs) recognised by the state government.
• Read the guidelines carefully and get all your doubts cleared if any and follow the due procedure.
• Follow the steps for completing the registration and upload documents as per the instructions.

Don'ts--

• Do not approach any Nursing home, hospital, maternity home, unauthorised institution or individual for adoption.
• Do not upload incorrect documents or else the registration is cancelled.
• Do not pay additional adoption charges other than what is prescribed in CARA guidelines.
• Stay away from middle men. There's no role of middlemen in adoption. They might mislead you to adopt a child illegally. Remember, that through illegal adoption you might unintentionally become a part of a child trafficking network.

For more information on adoption in India, you can visit-www.cara.nic.in or write to them at carahdesk.wcd@ic.in. You can also seek guidance on the toll-free helpline no- 1800-11-1311.

Image source: Getty Images (Image for representational purposes only)