Assam Cabinet Approves Uniform Civil Code In First Post-Election Meet

On the first day of the second inning of Himanta Biswa Sarma as Chief Minister, the Assam Cabinet approved the tabling of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the state during the first cabinet meeting of the newly formed government. Chief Minister Sarma announced that a bill will be introduced in the Assembly on May 26. The assembly session will start on May 21. 

Sarma added that the proposed UCC in Assam has been "customised" to protect tribal communities and preserve religious customs and traditions.

"All tribal people in Assam, both in the hills and plains, will remain outside the purview of the UCC. Religious rituals, customs and traditions will also be exempted. The proposed legislation will cover issues such as the minimum age of marriage, compulsory registration of marriages and divorces, abolition of polygamy, inheritance rights for women and regulation of live-in relationships," the Chief Minister further added.

The proposed UCC in Assam 'differs' from the one adopted in states like Uttarakhand, Goa and Gujarat, since there are provisions to safeguard indigenous and tribal communities.

The Cabinet also decided that the BJP's election manifesto for Assam would serve as the "guiding principle" for governance over the next five years.

In another key decision, the Cabinet approved the formation of a task force headed by the Chief Secretary to prepare a roadmap for generating two lakh jobs in the next five years, in line with the BJP's poll promise.

The government also announced a series of austerity measures amid global economic uncertainty linked to the ongoing Middle East conflict.

The Cabinet decided not to purchase new government vehicles for the next six months and imposed restrictions on foreign travel by government officials during the same period, except in medical emergencies.

The state will also reduce expenditure on fuel for government vehicles by 20 per cent over the next year, scale down VIP convoys based on security assessments, avoid procurement of foreign-made products for six months and prioritise hiring electric vehicles for official use.

Additionally, offline seminars and workshops funded by the government will be suspended for six months, while old government vehicles will be scrapped.