PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Dehradun Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) not only granted equal rights to the citizens but has also ushered in a new era of women empowerment in Uttarakhand. He was addressing a programme organised to mark the completion of one year of implementation of UCC in the State on Tuesday. The CM said UCC has freed the Muslim women from evil practices like Halala, Iddat, polygamy, child marriage and triple Talaq, and added that not a single case of Halala or polygamy has been reported in Uttarakhand after its implementation. Terming January 27 as a golden day in the history of Uttarakhand, the CM said that the founding fathers of the constitution, including BR Ambedkar, included the UCC in the Directive Principles of State Policy under Article 44 of the constitution. Dhami said that under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he took a pledge to implement UCC before the 2022 Vidhan Sabha elections. “After the blessing of the people in the Assembly election, I started work on implementing the UCC from the very first day. Consequently, on February 7, 2024, the UCC bill was passed in Vidhan Sabha and sent to the President. It received the President’s assent on March 11, 2024 and it was implemented on January 27,’’ he said. Clarifying that the UCC is not against any religion or sect, the CM said that it is a legal effort to establish harmony through equality among all citizens by eradicating social evils. This law does not alter the fundamental beliefs and practices of any religion, it only eliminates these evils. The UCC unifies the rules regarding marriage, divorce and inheritance for all religions. Clear laws have also been established regarding property division and child rights. No discrimination is made between children in property rights. The CM said that in tune with current times, registration for live-in relationships has been made mandatory in this law to ensure the safety of young men and women. Children born from live-in relationships are considered the couple’s children and are granted all the rights equal to the biological children. Dhami added that it is a matter of immense personal pride for him to have effectively implemented the UCC from its announcement to its implementation on the ground. He stated that over the past year, the State government has made access to government services more simple, accessible and transparent for citizens through the UCC. Prior to the implementation of the UCC, the State averaged only 67 marriage registrations per day, which has now increased to over 1,400. More than 30 per cent of the State’s Gram Panchayats have successfully completed 100 percent registration of married couples. Over 500,000 applications were received under the UCC in the past year out of which over 95 per cent have been resolved. Cabinet ministers Ganesh Joshi and Dhan Singh Rawat, MP Naresh Bansal, MLAs Khajan Das, Savita Kapoor, Suresh Gadiya and Brij Bhushan Gairola, UCC committee members Shatrughan Singh, Surekha Dangwal and Manu Gaur and others attended the programme.
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