India, Sept. 4 -- Maharashtra recorded a 25% rise in the adoption of children with special needs in 2025-26, emerging as the leading state in the country in this category, officials said at a regional workshop on Thursday.

As many as 394 children with special needs were adopted in Maharashtra in 2025-26, up from 313 in 2024-25. Officials attributed the increase in part to greater interest among foreign nationals in adopting children with special needs.

The figures were shared at the Western Regional Advisory Workshop of the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) in Pune. The workshop was organised jointly by the Maharashtra women and child development department and the State Adoption Resource Agency (SARA), Maharashtra, under the g...