PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Dehradun
The number of marriage registrations in Uttarakhand has witnessed a steep 24 fold increase after the implementation of Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the State.
On the initiative of chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami- who had promised on the eve of the Vidhan Sabha elections of 2022 that if re-re-elected, the BJP government will implement UCC- Uttarakhand become the first state in the country to implement UCC on January 27, 2025.
After the implementation of UCC, there has been a significant increase in marriage registrations in the State. The data shows more than three lakh marriages were registered in the State from January 27 to July 27, 2025 in the State. Whereas, under the old Act implemented in the year 2010, a total of 3,30,064 marriage registrations were done till 26 January 2025. The data shows that on an average only 67 marriages were registered in a day before January 2025 while after the implementation of UCC, this number has increased to 1,634 per day.
UCC aims to bring social justice, gender equality and bestow equal rights as per the provisions of article 44 of the constitution. Its objective is to provide equal rights and respect to all citizens, especially women. Marriage, divorce, inheritance, live-in relationships and related provisions are included in the UCC. Under this law, the age of marriage has been fixed for both men and women, while uniform and strict provisions have been made for divorce and other procedures in all religions. The implementation of the UCC has liberated women from evil practices like polygamy.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said, “Implementing UCC in Uttarakhand is a historic and bold decision by the State government. The unprecedented increase in marriage registrations demonstrates that the public has accepted this law and views it as a social reform. Uttarakhand has given a new direction to the entire country. I am confident that other states will also adopt this model in the future.”
