New Delhi, The Central Adoption Resource Authority has issued three office memorandums to all states and Union territories, directing them to ensure strict compliance with adoption procedures, safeguard records of adoptees, and protect children’s identity.. Apex body directs states to ensure compliance with adoption procedures, child identity protection. According to an official statement, the directions were issued to the State Adoption Resource Agencies in accordance with the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015 , and the Adoption Regulations, 2022.. Adoption under the Act aims to secure the right to family for orphan, abandoned and surrendered children, as envisaged under Section 56 of the Act.. In the first memorandum, the Central Adoption Resource Authority , the apex body for adoptions in the country, reiterated the mandatory observance of statutory procedures and timelines before declaring a child legally free for adoption, the statement said.. The Authority clarified that no orphan or abandoned child can be declared legally free for adoption without the completion of due inquiry, tracing of biological parents, restoration efforts, and other statutory requirements within the prescribed timeframe, it said.. In case of surrendered children, the mandatory reconsideration period of two months, as provided under the Act, must be strictly followed before the child can be declared legally free for adoption, the statement said.. The second memorandum issued policy clarification on the safekeeping, maintenance and transfer of records of children and adoptees.. The move comes in view of difficulties faced by adult adoptees seeking information about their origins through the root search process under Regulation 47 of the Adoption Regulations, 2022.. It was observed that in some cases, records were unavailable because the concerned specialised adoption agency or child care institution had been closed, de-registered, merged, or its functions transferred to another institution.. CARA reiterated that the responsibility to preserve and safeguard such records continues irrespective of the operational status of the institution.. The states and Union territories have been asked to ensure that all physical and digital records are securely preserved and transferred to the designated authority or institution, and that appropriate arrangements are made for long-term safekeeping to facilitate root search by the adoptees in the future.. Records must not be destroyed, discarded or rendered inaccessible except in accordance with the procedure laid down under the law, it said, adding that these provisions are aligned with Section 99 of the Act, which mandates confidentiality of reports and records relating to children.. In the third office memorandum, CARA directed the states and UTs to ensure strict compliance with Section 74 of the Juvenile Justice Act, which prohibits disclosure of the identity of children in conflict with law or those in need of care and 

 The actual signing of the India-US trade deal will take place only after the new tariff framework is implemented, commerce secretary Rajesh Agrawal said on Monday at trade data briefing.. US President Donald Trump and PM Narendra Modi during a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington DC on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. (Bloomberg). India is currently in discussions with the US on the details of the trade pact, news agency PTI quoted Agrawal as saying. 

 The actual signing of the India-US trade deal will take place only after the new tariff framework is implemented, commerce secretary Rajesh Agrawal said on Monday at trade data briefing.. US President Donald Trump and PM Narendra Modi during a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington DC on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. (Bloomberg). India is currently in discussions with the US on the details of the trade pact, news agency PTI quoted Agrawal as saying. 

 The actual signing of the India-US trade deal will take place only after the new tariff framework is implemented, commerce secretary Rajesh Agrawal said on Monday at trade data briefing.. US President Donald Trump and PM Narendra Modi during a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington DC on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. (Bloomberg). India is currently in discussions with the US on the details of the trade pact, news agency PTI quoted Agrawal as saying. 

 One person was killed and another injured in a landslide near a hydro-power project, while over 230 people, including women and children, were evacuated after they were caught in heavy snowfall at the high-altitude Sinthan top in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district, officials said on Monday.. Representative image. (ANI) (ANI). In view of the inclement weather, the authorities have ordered the closure of all educational institutions outside the municipal limits in Kishtwar and adjoining Doda district for Monday as a precautionary measure, the officials said.. A landslide, triggered by rain, struck a hydro-power project site near Dangduru in Kishtwar district on the intervening night of Sunday-Monday, trapping two workers, the officials said.. While one worker was later found dead, the other was rescued in an injured condition and shifted to a hospital, they said.. In another incident, the officials said, a joint rescue operation by the police, Army and the civil administration successfully evacuated 38 vehicles carrying 235 passengers to safety amid heavy snowfall at the Sinthan Top connecting Kishtwar in Jammu region with south Kashmir’s Anantnag district.. “On March 15, information was received that 235 civilians were stranded at Sinthan top due to heavy snowfall and severe weather conditions. Troops of the White Knight Corps were immediately mobilised to launch a swift rescue operation despite the treacherous terrain and relentless snowfall.. “Braving extreme weather and snow-blocked roads, the rescue teams reached Sinthan top and provided the stranded civilians with hot meals, drinking water and shelter. Repair and recovery teams restored the mobility of the stranded vehicles, while passengers from the unrecoverable vehicles were safely evacuated.. “Medical teams rendered assistance and essential medicines to those in need,” the White Knight Corps said in a post on X.. “The mission witnessed seamless coordination between the Army, J-K Police and the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation, reaffirming the Army’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding lives in the harshest conditions,” the post added.. Kishtwar Deputy Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Sharma, along with SSP Naresh Singh and the commanding officer of the 11 Rashtriya Rifles, supervised the rescue operation, which continued for several hours, the officials said.