The far-flung village of Jhunni Kala in Bihar's Purnia district, Urmila Devi beams with pride at her son's achievement. Her son, Air Marshal Awadhesh Kumar Bharti, was also declared a national asset because he was among the best performers during Operation Sindoor.

Indian adoption process is largely long and cumbersome. PAPs are required to wait for approximately 3.5 years, particularly for children in the age group of 0-2 years.