Uttarakhand Assembly Passes UCC Bill; CM Dhami Calls It ‘Historic’, Thanks PM Modi    

New Delhi: Uttarakhand Assembly on Wednesday passed the historic Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill. With this, Uttarakhand became the first state in India to pass the UCC bill. “After the independence, the makers of the Constitution gave the right under Article 44 that the states can also introduce the UCC at appropriate time. People have doubts regarding this. We made the draft as per the constitutional system,” Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhamisaid in the assembly. While addressing the media, CM Dhami said, “Today is a special day for Uttarakhand. The bill which had been long awaited, for which there had been a demand for a long time has been passed in the Uttarakhand Assembly” “This law is of equality, uniformity and equal rights. There were many doubts regarding this but the two-day discussion in the assembly clarified everything. This law is not against anyone. It is for the women who have to face difficulty because of the social norms. This will strengthen their self-confidence. This law is for the holistic development of women. The bill is passed. We will send it to the President. We will implement it in the state as a law, as soon as the President signs it,” CM Dhami further added The Bill was introduced in the assembly a day earlier and the opposition had suggested that it should be sent to a select committee of the House first. Once the Bill gets the governor’s consent, Uttarakhand will become the first state after independence to get a common law on marriage, divorce, land, property and inheritance for all citizens, irrespective of their religion. Once the Bill gets the governor’s consent, Uttarakhand will become the first state after independence to get a common law on marriage, divorce, land, property and inheritance for all citizens, irrespective of their religion. Speaking on the Bill before its passage, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said it is not an ordinary legislation. The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) will create equal laws for men and women across all faiths and will help create a non-partisan and non-discriminatory society, he said. It will especially protect the rights of women and put an end to their exploitation, Dhami said. “It fulfils a commitment we had made to the people of the state in the run-up to the 2022 assembly polls,” the chief minister said. It is a small contribution from Uttarakhand to building of a developed India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Dhami said.