'Expert committee to submit UCC draft to state govt soon': Uttarakhand CM

Uttarakhand CM Dhami, while addressing a gathering of seers in Haridwar, said the decision to introduce the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) was as significant as the Ram temple construction in Ayodhya or the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution.

Dehradun: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami Monday said the draft of a Uniform Civil Code for the state is ready and the expert committee will hand it over to the state government soon.

"The expert committee we had appointed to draft the UCC has done its job. We will get its draft soon in the new year and will move in the direction of implementing it," Dhami said while addressing a gathering of seers in Haridwar.

He said the decision to introduce the UCC was as significant as the construction of a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya or the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution that gave Jammu and Kashmir special status.

"The demands of a Ram temple in Ayodhya or abrogation of article 370 were being raised in the country for many years. Similarly, in the state also, before the assembly polls last year, we promised to bring a UCC if we were re-elected," Dhami said at the 'Divya Adhyatma Mahotsav' organised by the Joona Akhara in Haridwar.

Dhami mentioned the introduction of the country's most stringent anti-conversion laws in the state as among some of the big decisions taken by his government.

He also spoke of his government's decisive action against 'land jihad' saying more than 5,000 acres of government land has been freed from encroachment during the drive.

Dhami said a cultural re-awakening is taking place in the country under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"The construction of a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya, the Kashi-Vishwanath corridor in Varanasi and the reconstruction projects in Kedarnath and Badrinath are a reflection of the cultural re-awakening that is taking place under the Prime Minister's dynamic leadership," he said.