Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Monday said a committee formed by his government to prepare the draft of a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) for the state has completed 90 per cent work and will submit its proposals by June 30.
Implementation of a Uniform Civil Code was one of the major poll promises made by the BJP in run-up to the state assembly elections in 2022 which it won. Dhami formed the five-member committee days after taking oath in May last year.
Talking to reporters at Kashipur in Udham Singh Nagar district, Dhami said on Monday the panel headed by former Supreme Court judge justice Ranjana Prakash Desai has completed 90 per cent of work related to drafting of the code.
"The committee assigned the task of drafting the UCC has said it will be submitted by June 30 after which we will take steps to implement it," Dhami said. "We also expect other states to follow our example and introduce a Uniform Civil Code."
Dhami was here to inaugurate and lay the foundation stones of 113 development projects worth Rs 355 crore. "We will take every decision that is in the interest of the state," Dhami said. He said the projects which are related to drinking water and electricity will accelerate the development of Kashipur.
UCC essentially refers to a common set of laws governing personal matters such as marriage, divorce, adoption, inheritance and succession for all citizens, irrespective of religion. Currently, different laws regulate these aspects for adherents of different religions and a UCC is meant to do away with these personal laws.
Goa is the only state in India that has a uniform civil code. It has been following the Portuguese Civil Code 1867, which is also called Uniform Civil Code. After its liberation from Portuguese rule, the UCC survived through Section 5(1) of the Goa, Daman and Diu Administration Act, 1962.
