Of the 3,976 children adopted in foreign countries, the highest - 1,500 - were placed in the US, followed by 679 in Italy and 320 in Spain.
CARA monitors the welfare of children placed for inter-country adoption through post-adoption follow-up reports received from enlisted foreign agencies which are accredited to the government of the receiving country, said Women and Child Development Minister Krishna Tirath.
CARA has laid down guidelines for regulating inter-country adoption. These are based on the provisions of the Hague Convention on Inter-country Adoption 1993, ratified by India in 2003, as well as the directions of the Supreme Court.