Bengal Cabinet clears draft UCC Bill, CM Adhikari directs strict cost control measures
Kolkata, July 2
The draft of the Uniform Civil Code, West Bengal, 2026, aiming to implement a uniform civil code in the state, was cleared at a meeting of the state cabinet on Thursday, which was chaired by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
"Now the draft Bill will be sent to a newly constituted committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai (retired), for examination. Following the recommendations of the high-powered committee that will be received within the next four weeks, the final Bill will be drafted and tabled on the floor of the Assembly in August this year," said a state cabinet insider.
To recall, while addressing the Assembly earlier on June 29, the Chief Minister said that the state's tribals, indigenous people, Kurmis and other recognised ancient tribal communities will be kept outside the purview of the proposed law.
In this regard, the Chief Minister clarified that the exception is being made following the model adopted by Uttarakhand and Gujarat.
The main purpose of the Bill is to implement a single law across the state, instead of having separate personal laws on the basis of religion. Once implemented, West Bengal will be the fourth Indian state to implement UCC after Gujarat, Uttarakhand and Assam.
At the same time, at the meeting, the Chief Minister directed all departments to go for strict cost-control measures and stop all avoidable departmental expenditure.
"The Chief Minister strictly instructed that non-eligible people should be immediately excluded from various social welfare projects and thus ensure cost curtailment and bring ease in running those projects," the cabinet insider said.
Sources said that the Chief Minister also directed that all state government departments should adopt all possible measures to seal the avenues of revenue leakages, especially as regards tax collection from sectors like stone quarries and sand mining, the areas where the leakage was maximum during the previous Trinamool Congress regime because of rampant corruption.
"The Cabinet also approved a proposal for perpetual transfer of government-vested land in different districts in favour of the Border Security Force (BSF) and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) for various purposes like construction of border outposts, border fencing and road construction, among others," said sources.
The cabinet also cleared a proposal for the creation of nine additional fast-track courts in nine districts of the state and also approved the creation of 35 posts for these courts.
— IANS
Reader Comments
I'm a bit skeptical about UCC. Personal laws protect the rights of minorities and safeguard cultural practices. Need to see the draft details first - will women's rights in inheritance and marriage be truly improved or just a political gimmick? Also, why exclude tribals if it's supposed to be 'uniform'? 🤔
Finally, some action on corruption in mining! During the previous TMC regime, sand mafia was ruling the roost. SSB and BSF getting land for border infrastructure is also crucial for national security. But 4 weeks for committee review seems rushed for such a monumental law - hope they do proper consultation with all communities.
West Bengal becoming 4th state for UCC is historic! The exclusion of tribal communities is practical - let those who want to keep their traditions do so. Fast track courts are great for reducing case backlog. Just hope the cost cutting doesn't affect welfare schemes for poor and marginalized. Balance is key.
Interesting to see UCC progress in West Bengal. As an outsider looking in, it seems the state is trying to modernize while respecting tribal rights. The cost control focus on mining revenue leakages sounds like a practical step against corruption. Fast track courts are always welcome - justice delayed is denied.
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