Category Civics

WHAT IS UNIFORM CIVIL CODE?

The uniform civil code has sparked a debate yet again in the country, with some calling it “essential” and others condemning it as “unconstitutional”. But what is a Uniform Civil Code? Let’s find out

What’s a Uniform Civil Code?

India is a country with its people professing different religions, following diverse traditions and celebrating varied festivals – a fine example of unity in diversity A Uniform Civil Code refers to a common set of laws governing personal matters such as marriage, divorce, adoption. succession, inheritance and such other things.

The UCC comes under Article 44 of the Constitution of India, which states that “The State shall endeavour to secure for the citizens a uniform civil code throughout the territory of India”. This was envisaged by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, the father of the Indian Constitution. The UCC proposes a uniform personal law that would be applicable to personal matters of all citizens irrespective of their religion, caste, or gender. Personal laws are different from public laws, and currently, personal laws of different communities are governed by their respective religions, following customs and practices prescribed in their religious texts.

The primary objective of UCC is to treat all citizens equally irrespective of their religion and provide protection to vulnerable people. The draft of the UCC is yet to be finalised. Here it’s significant to note that India’s criminal laws are uniform and apply to everyone equally irrespective of their religious beliefs.

What’s the need for a UCC?

There is no uniformity because of the differences that exist within the present personal laws of different communities. For example, there are different succession laws. In some communities. the rights of women are limited. They cannot get an equal share in the property of their deceased parents as only male heirs are entitled to a bigger share in the property.

In some cases, women do not have a say in issues such as divorce, maintenance, etc. These practices governed by religion are at odds with the fundamental rights guaranteed in the Constitution. Such things are seen as depriving women of their rights and being unfair to them, hence the need for a UCC is deeply felt. With women becoming more independent due to rise in literacy rates and social awareness, many laws have been and are being amended to protect their interests.

The UCC, if enacted, is expected to simplify the laws that now remain segregated on the basis of religious beliefs, ensure uniformity and promote unity. However, concerns have been expressessed that in the urge for bringing in uniformity the secular and cultural fabric of the country is not threatened.

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What is NATO?

NATO is an abbreviation that stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, which is a military alliance that includes the U.S, Canada, the U.K and France along with 8 other countries, formed in 1949.

NATO was formed to counter the threat from the Soviet Union after the Second World War. In response, the U.S.S.R built its own military alliance against NATO in 1955. It was called the Warsaw Pact. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Warsaw Pact was dissolved and some of its member countries joined NATO.

The NATO alliance now has a total of 30 member countries with the goal to carry out the North Atlantic Treaty, which was signed on April 4, 1949. NATO constitutes a system of collective security. In this system, an attack on one member state is considered as an attack on all and it calls for a collective response. This guarantees collective security for all NATO member states. NATO’s headquarters are in Brussels in Belgium.

2 North American countries, 27 European countries and 1 Eurasian country form the NATO. On March 20, 2020 North Macedonia, with a population of two million people, became the newest and the 30th member of NATO. The U.S.A contributes around three-fourths of NATO’s total budget.

Another striking fact is that NATO played a prominent part in the current conflicts between Russia and Ukraine indirectly.

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How did the Provisional Government perform?

The February Revolution marked the end of the Romanov dynasty, and Tsar Nicholas II had to step down. The parliament then formed the Russian Provisional Government which ruled the country for a brief period. This was not an elected body, and had Prince Lvov as its prime minister.

The Provisional Government did make some efforts to make things right in the trauma-ridden country. It abolished the death penalty and all political offenders in prison and in exile were granted amnesty. It also gave the people civil liberties and put an end to religious and ethnic discrimination.

However, the Provisional Government failed to improve the people’s quality of life, and did not deal with land reforms. Also, there was no effort to end the war; the Provisional Government’s policy was that Russia should continue fighting, honouring its commitments to its allies in World War I. All this made the people more and unhappy with the Provisional Government, and its rule lasted only eight months.

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Who is the longest-reigning british monarch in world history?

Queen Elizabeth II was the first British sovereign to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee (70 years of service) recently. She is currently the world’s longest reigning monarch, having ascended the throne on February 6, 1952. However, the Queen still has some way to go to achieve the longest recorded reign-that of Louis XIV of France, also known as Louis the Great. Louis XIV was King of France for 72 years and 110 days, from 1643 to until his demise in 1715.

Elizabeth I – the last Tudor monarch – was born at Greenwich on 7 September 1533, the daughter of Henry VIII and his second wife, Anne Boleyn. Her early life was full of uncertainties, and her chances of succeeding to the throne seemed very slight once her half-brother Edward was born in 1537. She was then third in line behind her Roman Catholic half-sister, Princess Mary. Roman Catholics, indeed, always considered her illegitimate and she only narrowly escaped execution in the wake of a failed rebellion against Queen Mary in 1554.

Elizabeth succeeded to the throne on her half-sister’s death in November 1558. She was very well-educated (fluent in five languages), and had inherited intelligence, determination and shrewdness from both parents. Her 45-year reign is generally considered one of the most glorious in English history. During it a secure Church of England was established. Its doctrines were laid down in the 39 Articles of 1563, a compromise between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. Elizabeth herself refused to ‘make windows into men’s souls … there is only one Jesus Christ and all the rest is a dispute over trifles’; she asked for outward uniformity. Most of her subjects accepted the compromise as the basis of their faith, and her church settlement probably saved England from religious wars like those which France suffered in the second half of the 16th century.

Although autocratic and capricious, Elizabeth had astute political judgement and chose her ministers well; these included William Cecil, later Lord Burghley (Secretary of State), Sir Christopher Hatton (Lord Chancellor) and Sir Francis Walsingham (in charge of intelligence and also a Secretary of State).

Overall, Elizabeth’s administration consisted of some 600 officials administering the great offices of state, and a similar number dealing with the Crown lands (which funded the administrative costs). Social and economic regulation and law and order remained in the hands of the sheriffs at local level, supported by unpaid justices of the peace.

Elizabeth’s reign was one of considerable danger and difficulty for many, with threats of invasion from Spain through Ireland, and from France through Scotland. Much of northern England was in rebellion in 1569-70. A papal bull of 1570 specifically released Elizabeth’s subjects from their allegiance, and she passed harsh laws against Roman Catholics after plots against her life were discovered.

As a likely successor to Elizabeth, Mary spent 19 years as Elizabeth’s prisoner because Mary was the focus for rebellion and possible assassination plots, such as the Babington Plot of 1586.

During Elizabeth’s long reign, the nation also suffered from high prices and severe economic depression, especially in the countryside, during the 1590s. The war against Spain was not very successful after the Armada had been beaten and, together with other campaigns, it was very costly.

Despite the combination of financial strains and prolonged war after 1588, Parliament was not summoned more often. There were only 16 sittings of the Commons during Elizabeth’s reign, five of which were in the period 1588-1601. Although Elizabeth freely used her power to veto legislation, she avoided confrontation and did not attempt to define Parliament’s constitutional position and rights.

Overall, Elizabeth’s always shrewd and, when necessary, decisive leadership brought successes during a period of great danger both at home and abroad. She died at Richmond Palace on 24 March 1603, having become a legend in her lifetime. The date of her accession was a national holiday for two hundred years.

Credit : ROYAL.UK

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