Soon, natives holding domicile certificates won’t need any other proof of residence, says Uttarakhand CM Dhami

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami

Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], December 23 (ANI): Permanent residents of Uttarakhand will no longer require any residential proof, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami informed on Saturday, adding that his government is set to introduce some policy changes by virtue of which those holding domicile certificates will not require any other proof of residence.

Speaking to reporters on Saturday, the Uttarakhand CM said, “It has been a long-pending demand of residents here that all permanent residents should have just one proof of residence as it used to be earlier.

“We are in the process of coming out with a new policy whereby those holding residential or domicile certificates will no longer need to avail any other proof of residence. The high-level committee will be put together soon to draft the new policy,” CM Dhami added.

He informed further that taking forward the recommendations of the Land Law Committee, another panel would soon take shape under the chairmanship of a senior bureaucrat.

Meanwhile, the Uttarakhand Cabinet has already approved the recommendations so far by the five-member panel constituted to prepare a draft for the rollout Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state.

The cabinet gave the necessary approvals at the meeting chaired by CM Dhami on Friday.

However, the committee is yet to submit its detailed report to the government.

The committee is headed by retired Supreme Court judge Ranjana Prakash Desai, who currently heads the Delimitation Commission of India. Other members of the panel include retired Delhi High Court judge Pramod Kohli, social activist Manu Gaur, ex-chief secretary and IAS officer Shatrughan Singh, and Doon University Vice-Chancellor Surekha Dangwal.

The ruling BJP had promised to roll out UCC in the state in the run-up to the 2022 assembly polls.

Article 44 of the Constitution of India stipulates that the “State shall endeavour to secure a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) throughout the territory of India”.

The UCC proposes a common set of laws dealing with marriage, inheritance, adoption, and other matters.

The topic that had polarised opinions over the last 4 years hit the forefront yet again after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a strong case for the implementation of uniform legislation in an address in Bhopal earlier this year.

PM Modi said the country cannot run on two laws and that the Uniform Civil Code was in keeping with the founding principles and ideals of the Constitution.