Uttarakhand Cabinet approves UCC report, bill likely to be tabled in Assembly on February 6

Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], February 4 (ANI): The Uttarakhand Cabinet on Sunday approved the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) report in a meeting held at the Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami’s residence.

The bill is likely to be tabled in the Uttarakhand Assembly on February 6.

A meeting under the chairmanship of Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami was held at his residence.

The UCC drafting committee, led by retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai, submitted the draft to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday.

The UCC proposes uniform civil laws for all communities in the state. The draft was handed over to the Chief Minister by the five-member committee headed by retired Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai.

Once implemented, Uttarakhand will become the first Indian state after independence to adopt the UCC.

At an event organised at the Mukhya Sevak Sadan at the Chief Minister’s Camp Office, Dhami on Friday said, “We promised our people to bring the UCC in Uttarakhand before the Assembly goes into session. The rollout of the UCC will be in line with a resolution adopted by the BJP.”Earlier on Friday, CM Dhami said it was an important day for the people of the state as the UCC will help realise the vision of ‘Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat’.

The UCC drafting panel also comprised retired justice Pramod Kohli, social activist Manu Gaur, former Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Shatrughan Singh and Vice Chancellor of Doon University, Surekha Dangwal.

The drafting panel was given a total of four extensions, the latest being 15 days in January this year. The UCC will provide a legal framework for uniform marriage, divorce, land, property and inheritance laws for all citizens, irrespective of their religion. The passage of the UCC Bill will mark the fulfillment of a major promise made by the BJP to the people of the state in the run-up to the 2022 Assembly polls.

Earlier, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami informed that the draft report consists of 740 pages and has four volumes, which include suggestions from 2,33,000 people in the state.

“The village, which is known as the last village of India, was referred to by the PM as the first village, so the committee started the work of taking suggestions from their only, and other 43 places. A total of 2,33,000 people gave suggestions on it which includes 10 per cent families of Uttarakhand,” Chief Minister Dhami said.

At its very first meeting in the second term, in March 2022, the Dhami government decided to constitute a committee to prepare a draft for the UCC. (ANI)