Project Hindutva's Third Mega Mission ---- Uniform Civil Code draft report in Uttarakhand exempts Tribals :::: Seeks to Ban polygamy, - and Uniform marriage age across religions

(Uttarakhand CM Dhami says - "The submission of the draft report is a step forward in fulfilling our commitment". He also said, "This is the first of its kind draft report in the country in which not a single Urdu word is used.) 

This is largely seen as BJP's or Project Hindutva's Third Mega Mission often touted as 'contentious' issue in the past.

It is absolutely clear now that after Ram Temple at Ayodhya and Abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, the saffron party has set the ball rolling for Uniform Civil Code.

During NDA-I dispensation in power under Atal Bihari Vajpayee, these three issues were kept on : "back burner", as they put it. 

(The Central government is expected to announce a committee to propose legislative and policy measures to deal with the challenge of the rising population.)

The committee’s report submitted to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has recommended the exemption of tribal communities, who have been voicing their dissent against the Uniform Civil Code (UCC).

Tribals make up about 2.9 per cent of Uttarakhand’s population, and include groups such as Jaunsari, Bhotiyas, Tharus, Rajis and Buksas.  

The draft report is divided into four volumes. The first is the committee’s report, the second is the draft code in English, the third is a public consultation report of the committee, and the fourth volume is the draft code in Hindi.

Sources say the proposed legislation seeks to ensure -- Equality for women, 

- Banning practices like polygamy, 

- and Finalising or agreeing to a Uniform marriage age across religions.

A five-member expert committee headed by retired Supreme Court Judge Ranjana Prakash Desai also worked in details on contentious matters and suggest that the UCC will provide a legal framework for a uniform marriage, divorce, land, property and inheritance laws for all citizens irrespective of their religion in the state.

The Uttarakhand Assembly session is scheduled to begin on Monday, and the UCC Bill is expected to be tabled Tuesday.

Among the key aspects of the report submitted by the expert panel, sources said, was making halala, iddat, and triple talaq – practices governing marriage and divorce under the Muslim personal law – punishable offences. Sources said it also recommended making the legal age for marriage, for both men and women, uniform across religions.

Mandatory registration for live-in relationships were also recommended.

Sources said the committee had “overwhelming suggestions” – from the stakeholders during the consultation process – that there should be uniformity in the number of children for a couple and other measures for population control. But the committee was told that the Centre would set up an expert committee to look into the matter. 

Sources said the Central government is expected to announce a committee to propose legislative and policy measures to deal with the challenge of the rising population.

In her Interim Budget speech Thursday, Feb 1, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said: “The Government will form a high-powered committee for an extensive consideration of the challenges arising from fast population growth and demographic changes. The committee will be mandated to make recommendations for addressing these challenges comprehensively in relation to the goal of Viksit Bharat,” she said.

In his annual Vijayadashami speech at the RSS headquarters in Nagpur last October, RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat flagged the need for a “comprehensive population control policy” that would apply to all “equally”, and said it was in the national interest to keep an eye on “population imbalance”. 

In his Independence Day address in 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also placed the issue of “population explosion” on the national frontburner, calling it a challenge and urging the Centre and States to devise schemes to tackle it.

PM Modi says 'when my Govt comes for third term' and there is applause - Namo sums up the pro-BJP mood and says, "Samajhdar ke liye ishara kaafi hae" ....  

"Today India's economy is expanding rapidly. India is sure to become the third largest economy in the world in the third term of our government," the Prime Minister said at the Global Mobility Summit.

There was overwhelming response from the crowd with a load applause. Modi then remarked, ""Samajhdar ke liye ishara kaafi hae" (I am sure all of you are smart enough to understand what I said)".

"Drivers are an important part of the mobility sector. They drive for long hours but they do not have access to proper resting place…They do not get adequate time to take rest and sometimes this leads to road accidents," Modi said. 

In the first phase, 1,000 modern buildings with amenities such as food stalls, clean drinking water, toilets, parking and rest places will be constructed, he said. 

PM said that it will give a boost to both the ease of living and ease of traveling for truck and taxi drivers, thereby improving their health and also help in preventing accidents. "India is on the move, and is moving fast. In a way, this is the beginning of the golden period for India's mobility sector," he said.