“Devbhoomi Uttarakhand has made Uniform Civil Code a reality”: Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar

Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], January 27 (ANI): Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday expressed happiness and said that it was an auspicious day as the state of Uttarakhand has made the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) a reality.

The Vice President presided over the inaugural programme for the fifth batch of participants of the Rajya Sabha Internship Programme and also inaugurated the online portal for the Internship Programme at the Vice President’s Enclave today.

Addressing participants of the Rajya Sabha Internship Programme, Vice President Dhankhar said, “Today, a very auspicious sign has occurred. And that auspicious sign is, what the framers of the Constitution had envisioned and directed in the Constitution, specifically in Part 4 – the Directive Principles of State Policy. The framers of the Constitution directed the state to work hard to realize these directive principles. Some of them have been realized, but one realization is Article 44.”

“Article 44 of the Indian Constitution mandates and ordains that the state shall endeavour to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India. We are all in a joyous mood today. The beginning of the last quarter of the century since the adoption of the Indian Constitution has begun, with Dev Bhoomi Uttarakhand making the Uniform Civil Code a reality. One state has done it. I congratulate the farsightedness of the government. For realizing the vision of the founding fathers of the Constitution by implementing the Uniform Civil Code in their state, and I am sure it will only be a matter of time before the entire country adopts similar legislation,” he said.

Expressing his concern over the opposition to UCC by some, the Vice-President stated, “Some people, I would say out of ignorance, are criticising it. How can we criticise something which is a mandate of the Indian Constitution? Ordainment emanating from our founding fathers. Something that has to bring about gender equality. Why do we oppose it? Politics has taken such a deep root in our minds that it has turned into poison. For political gain, people don’t hesitate to forsake nationalism, not even for a moment, without feeling concerned. How can anyone oppose the promulgation of the Uniform Civil Code? you study it. Study the debates of the constitutional assembly, study how many times the Supreme Court of the country has so indicated.”

Underlining the security threat posed by illegal migrants, Dhankhar emphasised, “We have to see the challenges. And challenge to the Nation is, that millions of illegal migrants are living in our land. Millions! Is it not a challenge to our sovereignty? Such kind of people will never be wedded to our nationalism. They use our resources for health, education, and other facilities. They engage in jobs meant for our people. I expect everyone in the government to take a severe look at this. This problem and resolution of it cannot be delayed even by a day. How can a nation suffer illegal migrants in millions? They are a threat to our democracy because they are trying to influence our electoral system. They are also a threat to our societal harmony, to our nation’s security.”

Drawing attention to the enlarging basket of opportunities for youth, the Vice President stated, “The people of this country have tasted development for the first time because they now have a toilet in their house, a gas connection in the kitchen, access to the internet, road connectivity, and air connectivity. They are about to get piped water and clean drinking water. 40 million people have already received affordable housing. When you experience such a situation, you become an aspirational nation.”

“People’s aspirations are touching the sky; now everyone wants everything. It has entered people’s minds that since the river of progress has flowed so much, we will be number one in the world, and first and foremost, they see themselves in that position. I am somewhat concerned that our youth is still thinking in terms of coaching classes for government jobs. They are in a silo, stuck in a groove. They can’t think beyond a government job. They should realize that today, the basket of opportunities is constantly growing,” he said.

Lauding the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shri Dhankhar said, “People do not appreciate this. When the Prime Minister first said that the country should have aspirational districts, their number was gradually decreasing. These were the districts where no officer wanted to become the District Magistrate, no one wanted to be the SP, and development was absent. He took it upon himself that the entire nation should be like a plateau, not a pyramid. What was the result? Aspirational districts were identified. Today, the change has come 180 degrees.”

“India is singled out as the only nation that has registered in last decade huge economic upsurge, exponential infrastructural growth, deep technological penetration, hand-holding policies that are affirmative for youth and what has been the outcome, an atmosphere of hope and possibility”, he added.

Highlighting the significance of dialogue and deliberation in our civilisation, the Vice-President stated, “Our culture says that without debate, a solution to a problem cannot be found. I firmly believe that. The world faces problems, some of which are existential in nature, such as climate change or conflicts like the one between Russia and Ukraine, or Israel and Hamas. But at the end of the day, as the Prime Minister indicated, resolution takes place only through dialogue and diplomacy. Are we performing in this manner at the moment? Have we not yielded the space for debate and dialogue to be overtaken by disruption and disturbance? Have we not yielded the space for consensus-building to be replaced by irretrievable confrontational stances?”

“There were many divisive issues, contentious issues, and major disagreements before the Constituent Assembly, but there were never any differences in spirit. The tough terrain was negotiated, the headwind was faced, and air pockets were overcome by dialogue, debate, discussion and deliberation. The idea was not to score a point, the idea was to arrive at a consensus, a consensual approach because India is a country that is the role model of inclusivity, tolerance, adaptability”, he added.

Speaking on Art 370 he said, “Our Indian constitution owes much to Dr BR Ambedkar, he was chairman of the drafting committee. He had a global perspective and was a visionary, he drafted all the articles of the Constitution except one, Article 370. You have seen Sardar Patel,…. he was not associated with the integration of Jammu and Kashmir. Dr BR Ambedkar was so nationalist and sovereignty was in his mind. By writing a communication, he declined to draft Article 370. You’ll have the occasion to go through that. Had Dr. Ambedkar’s will prevail? we would not have paid the huge price which we have paid.”

Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced that the state has officially implemented the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and that a dedicated portal for registration has been introduced.

CM Dhami declared that January 27 will now be observed annually as UCC Diwas.

Expressing his gratitude to the people of Uttarakhand and the Central leadership, CM Dhami said, “I express heartfelt gratitude to the people of Uttarakhand and thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah as we fulfil the promise we had made to the people of the state under their leadership and inspiration.”

Chief Minister Dhami launched the UCC portal and rules on Monday, marking a milestone in the state’s journey towards social justice and equality. The UCC aims to simplify and standardise personal laws related to marriage, divorce, succession, and inheritance. An official order from the Uttarakhand government reads, “In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (2) of section 1 of The Uniform Civil Code, Uttarakhand, 2024 (Act no 3 of 2024), the Governor hereby appoints the date 27 January 2025 as the date on which the said Code shall come into force.”

The Uttarakhand Uniform Civil Code Act, 2024, is designed to establish a streamlined framework for the creation and cancellation of wills and supplementary documents, known as codicils, under testamentary succession.

According to the state government, this act applies to the entire area of the state of Uttarakhand and is also effective on the residents of the state living outside Uttarakhand.

The UCC applies to all residents of Uttarakhand, except Scheduled Tribes and protected authority-empowered persons and communities.

Uttarakhand has become the first state in India to implement a Uniform Civil Code (UCC), aiming to simplify and standardise personal laws related to marriage, divorce, succession, and inheritance. (