Shreevatsa is a care centre for the family deprived children which is located in Pune, a city in Maharashtra a western Indian state. The centre offers its orphans for adoption. It is operated by "Society of Friends of Sassoon Hospitals", a charitable organisation associated with Sassoon Hospital, Pune.[1][2] The centre was established on 6 October 1973, the day of Vijayadashami. 2574 of its orphans were legally adopted into families between 1974 and 2009.[3]
On 5 July 2011, Women and Child Welfare Department of the government of Maharashtra inspected its premises. Four unwed pregnant women were found illegally housed in the centre.[4] It is considered that unwed mothers would be prone to abandon babies, therefore centres that offer its residents for adoption are not allowed to provide lodging for unwed pregnant women.[5] The centre had its licence to work as an adoption agency temporarily suspended by the Central Adoption Resource Authority in June 2012, in response to complaints regarding overcharging of fees.[6]
In 1982, documentary and feature film director Prakash Jha created a documentary film Shree Vats about the centre. The film has interviews of adoptive families in it.[7]