Continued from here, where we were looking at possible changes in adoption from India.

It is beginning to appear that serious efforts to improve the likelihood of international adoption for some Indian children may be in the works.

Cara's website (India's Central Adoption Resource Agency) was redesigned for ease of use, and work was beginning on efforts to "simplify and streamline" the adoption process. Guidelines have been posted on domestic and international adoption processes and a list of agencies, Indian and foreign, is available.

Now, the Hindustan Times is saying that the WCD (Woman and Child Development Ministry) has announced that it is coming up with a mechanism that will have it take less than two months to complete an adoption.

Suddenly, unlike past proclamations of concern over the numbers of Indian children adopted internationally, government officials are taking a completely different angle.

“The reduction in the time will improve child adoption numbers as most NRIs want the process to be completed fast,” she said. In India, only about 4,000 children are adopted every year.

Only 4,000? How long ago was it that people were up in arms because 4,000 was being touted as a HUGE number?

The minister added, "There is more demand for girls than boys and it is a good sign for future of the girl child.”

Well ... thank you for that! I'm feeling a great big "yipee" welling up at the thought that people in positions of power may actually be getting the point and understanding that families really are important, even if they happen to be from somewhere else.

The fact that our own Adoption.com page on adoption from India starts off with this note shows where the situation stood very recently ...

Due to popular opposition to the adoption of Indian children by foreigners, there have been reports that non-resident Indian applicants are being given preference in intercountry placements.

That was then, this is now.

The biggie came in yesterday's news when the London Times on Sunday reported that India, " ... is struggling with a surplus of abandoned and unwanted children and is urging people in Britain and other Western countries to adopt its orphans.

Is this a breakthrough? Are we about to see a global turnaround in attitudes toward international adoption? Could it be that people are finally getting their heads around the fact that we are one small world and all human?

One can hope.

For more on adopting from India, here is some general info. For an interesting perspective on culture and the idea of loss of culture in international adoption, this post written by a cultural anthropologist friend of mine for a guest blog entry is enlightening.