DIPHU: Abandoned at birth by her biological parents, a two-year-old child from a remote area in Assam's Karbi Anglong district has found home in distant Spain with a professor from the European country formally adopting her on Tuesday.
Maria Emngal Rams arrived at Dhansiri town of this hill district early on Tuesday morning and took custody of the minor after spending more than two months for paperwork and other formalities.
"The adoption process was done through CARA and after approving and verifying all documents, we handed the child to her new mother at a function here," Sanju Bora, founder member of 'Mission Concern', an adoption agency where the child was staying, said.
The Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) is a statutory body of the union ministry of women and child development which functions as the nodal body to monitor and regulate in-country and inter-country adoptions.
The adoption agency official said the child was brought to Mission Concern two years ago in a serious condition.
She was abandoned by the roadside and ants had bitten through her flesh severely.
She was provided with medical treatment and care under the supervision of Ambika, whom the children at the center fondly refer to as 'Maa' (mother).
The infant returned from the brink of death and grew into a healthy child, the official added.
An emotional Ambika, who is also the chairman of Mission Concern which has been working with orphaned children in the area since 2008 said, "My gratitude to the people like Maria. A child who was left to die by the roadside at one time will now be a citizen of Spain thanks to such benevolent people," she said.
Bora said foreigners do not hesitate to adopt children who have disabilities or previous medical conditions.
"Maria arrived with her sister Sonia and a translator Jamal Mursen and has now taken custody of the child. We organised a small function on the occasion in our center, which was attended by the top brass of the district civil and police administration," he said.
District superintendent of police Sanjib Kumar Saikia and extra assistant commissioner Nupur Bora formally handed the adoption papers to Maria Rams, Bora added.