Madhya Pradesh fast-tracks UCC - but there's some opposition

📌 Summary:

• Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav announced that a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill will be introduced and passed in the Assembly's five-day monsoon session beginning July 20
• If passed, MP would become the second BJP-ruled state after Uttarakhand to legislate a UCC, a long-standing party commitment
• The state set up a six-member committee headed by a former Supreme Court judge to study the issue and prepare a draft, gathering suggestions across districts and examining UCC models in other states
• The proposed law would regulate marriage, divorce, maintenance, inheritance, adoption and live-in relationships, with attention to women's rights and children's welfare; government frames it as ensuring legal uniformity and equality
• Opposition: Congress (LoP Umang Singhar) says a blanket UCC pushed without consultation could undermine tribal customs and traditional inheritance, and demands clarity on exemption of Scheduled Tribes
• Tribal concern: Adivasi groups argue customary laws on marriage and succession are integral to tribal identity, citing protections under the Fifth Schedule and the PESA Act; MP has one of India's largest tribal populations (over a fifth) and 47 ST-reserved Assembly seats

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS2 - Article 44 (Directive Principles) and the UCC debate, Centre-State and federal dimensions of personal law, and constitutional protections for tribal customary practices (Fifth Schedule, PESA).

📝 Prelims Facts:

• UCC is enshrined in Article 44 (DPSP); Uttarakhand was the first state to enact one
• PESA = Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996
• The Fifth Schedule provides for administration of Scheduled Areas and tribes
• MP monsoon session begins July 20

🔑 Key Term: Uniform Civil Code - a common set of personal laws (marriage, divorce, inheritance, etc.) applicable to all citizens regardless of religion, envisaged under Article 44.