Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami recently declared the upcoming implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state before November 9. The UCC Bill was initially introduced by the Uttarakhand government on February 6 of this year and successfully passed in the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly on February 7, which marked a significant day in the state's history according to Dhami.
The Uniform Civil Code aims to establish consistent regulations for personal matters like marriage, divorce, inheritance, and property rights for all citizens, irrespective of their religious beliefs, gender, or sexual orientation. This proposal was passed with a comfortable majority during a special assembly session in Uttarakhand on February 7, with Chief Minister Dhami being the one to present the bill.
Following its passage in the state assembly, Uttarakhand Governor Gurmit Singh forwarded the UCC Bill to President Droupadi Murmu for her approval on February 29. President Murmu granted her approval on March 13, making Uttarakhand the first state in India to enforce the Uniform Civil Code. Dhami also emphasized the importance of balancing development and environmental efforts in the state, highlighting the move towards Gross Environment Product (GEP) and the inclusion of factors like water, land, forest, and air in this index. The government is also evaluating the carrying capacity of cities in the hilly regions of Uttarakhand for planned development based on these assessments.