UCC will be implemented in Uttarakhand from January 2025: CM Pushkar Dhami

Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami (Courtesy: ANI file photo)

The Uniform Civil Code (UCC) will be implemented in Uttarakhand from January 2025, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said on December 18. With this, the state will be India's first to implement UCC after Independence.

According to Dhami, the Uttarakhand government has already completed its 'homework' and the UCC will be implemented across the state from January 2025. He made the statement during a meeting of the Uttarakhand Investment and Infrastructure Development Board (UIIDB) in Dehradun.

"The rules of the Uniform Civil Code Act have also been prepared and Uttarakhand is fully prepared to implement the UCC from January. The Uniform Civil Code Act of Uttarakhand will give a new direction to the society by following the basic spirit of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas. This law will open new doors of empowerment, especially for women and children of Devbhoomi," he said.

The CM's statement comes a day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that BJP governments will bring a common civil code in all states soon. "A law that brought huge changes to social life was passed as a model law by Uttarakhand. It will be examined thoroughly and there will be deliberations ... After that, BJP governments will bring a common civil code in all states," he said replying to the debate on the 75th year of the Constitution in the Rajya Sabha.

Pushkar Dhami, while campaigning for the 2022 assembly elections, had promised the people of Uttarakhand that if BJP retained power the UCC would be implemented.

"After the formation of the new government in Uttarakhand in March 2022, it was decided in the first meeting of the cabinet to form an expert committee to implement UCC in the state," he said.

According to the Uttarakhand CM, a five-member expert committee was formed under the chairmanship of retired judge Ranjana Prakash Desai. On the basis of its report, the Uniform Civil Code, Uttarakhand, 2024 Bill was passed in the state assembly on February 7, 2024. The Act was notified on 12 March 2024 after presidential assent, he said.

Dhami instructed the officials to provide proper training and facilities to the personnel for the implementation of the provisions of UCC.

The chief minister said that keeping in mind the convenience of the common people, a portal and a mobile app have also been prepared so that facilities including registration and appeal can be made available online.