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20 Blunders that can cost you UPSC Prelims,& how to avoid them | LIVE 1-1 session with IPS Shubham sir | Register for Recorded Video & Get FREE Notes for Prelims 2023 post webinar
LIVE webinar Concluded successfully on 27th January (Friday), 2023 | Register for Recorded Video & Get Value-Added PDF materials for UPSC Prelims 2023

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Preparing for the UPSC Prelims exam is a long and arduous journey that requires a great deal of hard work and dedication. Most of you might have already invested ~2yrs of time, huge money, emotions, and effort in this preparation.

However, despite all of the effort and input that you put in, small mistakes can have a significant impact on your final result. These mistakes can be compared to the butterfly effect or domino effect, where a small event can cause a chain reaction leading to grave issues.

As your mentor, it is our duty to inform and educate you on the importance of being aware of these small but fundamental mistakes that can have a significant impact on your success in the UPSC prelims exam.

To help you identify these mistakes and learn how to avoid them, we are excited to invite you to a LIVE webinar or 1-1 session by IPS, Shubham Sir.

This webinar will provide valuable insights and strategies to help you stay on track and achieve your goals.

(Click) Register for Recorded Video | Get FREE Smash Prelims select notes

About Shubham Nagargoje:

UPSC 2020 Topper–IPS Officer Shubham Nagargoje lived by this saying during his entire UPSC and RBI Grade B preparation for three years. Hence, failing to clear the UPSC Prelims twice didn’t deter him. He finally got appointment letters both as an RBI Grade B officer and an IPS officer.

Webinar Details: Concluded Successfully

Date: 27th January 2023 (Friday)

Time: 7:30 PM to 9 PM

Infallible ideas & Tips in This Free Live Webinar by Shubham Nagargoje!
- 20 blunders that can cost you UPSC Prelims and how to avoid them.
- Understanding the importance of a well-structured study plan and how to make one: A structured study plan is essential for effective time management and staying on track with your preparations. This should include a daily, weekly and monthly plan, along with specific targets.
- Identifying and avoiding common pitfalls: Students should be aware of common mistakes that many candidates make during their preparation and know how to avoid them. For example, procrastination, lack of focus, not seeking feedback, not updating oneself with current affairs, not testing oneself etc.
- Utilizing basic and fundamental resources like NCERTs and Current Affairs effectively: Students should learn how to use resources effectively and efficiently. This includes selecting the right study materials, identifying the best study methods, and utilizing online resources such as mock tests and practice questions.
- How do 99% of UPSC aspirants make mistakes to understand and differentiate between UPSC Prelims and Mains syllabus?
- How to utilize the remaining 3 months for UPSC Prelims 2023?
- How to cover the syllabus in the remaining time so that you can make maximum revision cycles?
- How to clear UPSC Prelims with self-study? If you’re not getting any mentor, where are you making mistakes that will cost you Prelims?
- Attempting test series is important. But, analyzing test series in the wrong way will make you do silly mistakes.
- Additionally, the webinar will also provide guidance on how to identify and overcome personal barriers, such as lack of motivation, lack of direction, and self-doubt.
Don’t let small mistakes become Himalayan Blunders and hold you back from achieving your dreams. Join us in this webinar and learn how to avoid these mistakes and unlock your full potential. Sign up now, as spots are limited.

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CivilsDaily’s FREE Webinar package

Post-webinar we will share important PDFs, timetable framework, and notes.

Other than this a strategy package will be emailed to you.

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January 25, 2023
Get a Realistic Picture of Your UPSC Prelims 2023 readiness: Attempt the All India Open Test with 10,000+ Aspirants | Get Free Strategy Call + PDF Material After Test | Hurry Up & Register Now
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CivilsDaily will assign a dedicated mentor for the post-test process. It will include a detailed test discussion, a one-to-one mentorship call to highlight your weak areas and issues in preparation. A timetable and strategy will be shared with you and relevant Smash Prelims select PDF notes will be shared for FREE.

What students will get after the mock-Tests?
1. Detailed post-test analysis over a call
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3. Smash Prelims select notes
CivilsDaily will assign a dedicated mentor for the post-test process. It will include a detailed test discussion, a one-to-one mentorship call to highlight your weak areas and issues in preparation. A timetable and strategy will be shared with you and relevant Smash Prelims select PDF notes will be shared for FREE.

This is a FREE initiative under Smash Prelims 2023 program.

About Smash Prelims 2023 January edition

Course completion (GS+Current Affairs) Lectures, Test Series (both GS and CSAT), 1-to-1 Mentorship, Previous Year Question analysis, and PDF Notes

You don’t have time to read everything, nor do you have time to make notes.

With just 5 months left for the exam Smash Prelims 2023: January Edition is what you need.

Target 120+ marks in UPSC GS Prelims paper, 100+ in UPSC CSAT prelims with an overall accuracy of 90% with Smash Prelims program

Mentorship by Santosh sir: Highly experienced and has an excellent record

Beat the unpredictability of UPSC with 6 PILLARED APPROACH

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What CivilsDaily’s Smash Prelims students have to say?

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A miracle for Debarpita, Smash Prelims 2022 student

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January 25, 2023
India could lead the G20 agenda in a unique way
Context
- The G20, or Group of 20, has emerged as the primary venue for international economic and financial cooperation. India assumed the presidency of the powerful grouping G20 on 1 December 2022, symbolising the motto and showcasing its philosophies of “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”, or “One Earth, One Family, One Future”.
What One Earth, One Family, One Future suggests?
- India committed to making India’s year of chairmanship one that will focus on “healing our ‘One Earth’, creating harmony within our ‘One Family’, and giving hope for our ‘One Future’ and LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment).
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What is Troika?
- The troika means previous, current, and incoming presidency which comprise Indonesia, India, and Brazil, respectively.
- The troika is leading the global agenda at G20 in the current turbulent economic times.
- Beyond being a forum for policy discussions, the G20 plays the role of reconciling the irreconcilable.
- The number of talks and years the group has been together has resulted in a mixed bag of success.
How India should set up a global agenda: Proposed principles
- Democratising the process of setting the agenda: While setting up the global agenda, it is critical to bring together all the partner nations to understand their priorities. It will ensure diversity, equity, inclusivity, sustainability, transparency, and long-term commitment. This can also help ensure that the domestic policies are aligned and support global priorities.
- Strike a balance between the needs of developing and developed countries: Since India has a greater responsibility to shoulder, it should not work and seem biased. Similarly, developed nations should instead exercise greater caution with their rich resource pools. To create a win-win scenario rather than a zero-sum game, we must think in terms of multilateralism.
- Critical to focus on determined priorities: It is critical to prevent the G20 from suffering as other multilateral forums such as the World Trade Organization (WTO) do from an over-expansion of its mandate. While being ambitious in their approach, it is crucial to set defined, limited long-term priorities.
- Set concrete, measurable, and tangible goals: Measurable outcomes with short, medium, and long-term objectives are crucial. Financial considerations must be made in addition to ensuring inclusivity, sustainability, and accountability.
- Prevent reinventing the wheels: To encourage faster mutual growth, it is necessary to prevent duplication of efforts. It is important to prevent duplication of existing international institutions, fragmentation of financial resources, and the weakening of the coordinating role of the existing multilateral organisations. The ‘cooperative and collaborative frameworks are key to successful outcomes.
- Prejudice-free dialogues are required to promote solidarity: Prejudices on international platforms can pose a threat to global security. Dialogue as an antidote is a force for conflict prevention, management, and resolution.
- Mutual safeguarding is necessary: Mutual safeguarding from disguised elements of neo-colonialism and hegemony is essential for cutting through the socio-cultural and geopolitical barriers between the Global South and the Global North.
- The principle of Antyodaya (rise of the last person:): The global lens must capture every aspect of a community through inclusive dialogues, from the most marginalised to the most privileged. It is crucial to set the vertical and horizontal plans on a global and national level with the ‘last person standing in line’ in mind.
India’s current global Image
- India for global governance: While India’s successes are being assessed and unprecedented hopes are being expressed about our future, the country’s trust in the global governance architecture is evident through several examples from the recent past, like the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines in India as well as remarkable vaccine diplomacy initiative ‘Vaccine Maitri’.
- Fastest growing economy: With one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing economies, the country has earned its stripes during tough external and internal times.
- India among the tops in global climate change performance index: Similarly, India has been ranked among the top five countries under the global Climate Change Performance Index. Moreover, it has taken the lead in spearheading the transition towards cleaner energy sources.
- Social capitalism nature of economy: With its social capitalism, India has earned a geopolitical sweet spot in the world.
Conclusion
- India can lead the G20 agenda in a unique way the global community has never witnessed. Keeping the essential principles in mind when developing agendas, action-oriented plans, and decisions through collaborative efforts have the potential to yield revolutionary and positive results. The vision of shaping a new paradigm of human-centric globalisation is promising, provided the Global North and South communities provide equal support.
Mains question

Q. India assumed the presidency of the powerful grouping G20 with a motto One Earth, One Family, One Future. In this backdrop how India can set up an agenda for future and not only for a period of presidentship.

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January 25, 2023
[Sansad TV] Perspective: Vehicle Scrapping Policy
Context
- All vehicles owned by central and state governments, including buses owned by transport corporations and public sector undertakings, that are older than 15 years will be de-registered and scrapped starting April 1.
- This has been announced by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) through a notification.
Vehicle Scrappage Policy, 2021
- As per the notification, disposal of such vehicles should be ensured through the Registered Vehicle Scrapping Facility after the expiry of the fifteen years from the date of initial registration of the vehicle.
- Announced in the Union Budget 2021-22, the policy provides for fitness tests after 20 years for personal vehicles, while commercial vehicles will require it after 15 years.
Key Features
- Fitness testing: The government plans to set up between 450-500 automated vehicle fitness testing stations across India on a PPP basis. Private vehicles – which are over 20 years old – will have to undergo fitness tests, at an estimated cost of Rs 300-400 per test.
- Scrappage: A total of 60-70 vehicle scrapping centers will also be built, situated no further than 150-200 kilometers away from any location in India.
- Green Tax: Vehicles that pass the automated tests will be subjected to a ‘green tax’, which will see owners shell out an additional 10 percent to 25 percent of road tax at the time of the renewal of the vehicle’s fitness certificate, along with re-registration fees.
- Penalties: Those who choose to drive a vehicle that has failed the automated test will face substantial penalties, and such vehicles could also be impounded.
- Choice of owners: The scrappage policy leaves the choice of scrapping to the owner of the vehicle, with MoRTH saying the automated tests will place emphasis on vehicle fitness, and not its age.
- Exemptions: The rules, however, shall not apply to the special purpose vehicles, which include armoured and other specialised vehicles used for operational purposes for the defence of the country and for the maintenance of law and order and internal security.
- Disincentives: As a disincentive, increased re-registration fees would be applicable for vehicles 15 years or older from the initial date registration.
Why need such a policy?
- Clean mobility: More than one crore of vehicles on India’s roads contribute greatly to rising pollution levels, as well as their tendency to be less fuel-efficient towards the end of their life.
- Reducing oil import: The promotion of clean mobility necessitates a reduction in the country’s fuel import bills, and a reduction in emissions is a pressing need at this time.
- Road safety: Such vehicles are also inherently unsafe and can be a threat to their occupants as well as other road users.
- Consumer benefits: Scrapping an old vehicle and replacing it with a new one will bring substantial monetary benefits for motorists, in addition to reducing emissions and enhancing fuel efficiency.
- Emission control: The mere implementation of BS6 norms won’t help in the reduction of the pollution being caused by the already inefficient vehicles on the roads.
Benefits for a vehicle owner
- Rebate offer: States and Union Territories will provide up to 25% tax rebate on road tax for vehicles that are purchased after scrapping old vehicles.
- Discount on new purchase: Once the vehicle has been scrapped, the owner will receive anywhere between four to six percent of their old vehicle’s ex-showroom price, and a scrappage certificate.
- Considerate savings: This will essentially make a new vehicle cheaper for someone who has scrapped their old vehicle, with potential discounts in the range of Rs 30,000 (for a car costing Rs 6 lakh) to Rs 50,000 (for a car costing Rs 10 lakh).
Significance of scrappage policy
- Investment and Employment: The policy will attract investment of over Rs 10,000 crore, and generate 50,000 jobs in the country.
- Scrap yard economics: Proper recycling of raw materials obtained from the scrapping will help reduce the import of materials such as aluminium, copper, steel and more.
- Vehicle price control: With the potential to recycle up to 99 percent of materials used in a vehicle, raw material costs are estimated to drop by as much as 40 percent.
- Transition to EVs: There’s also a possibility to derive materials needed for local production of lithium-ion batteries from scrapping older vehicles, which could help drive the growth of the EV business.
- Circular Economy: A circular economy depends on reuse, sharing, repair, and refurbishment, remanufacturing and recycling of resources to create a closed-loop system, minimizing the use of resources, generation of waste, pollution and carbon emissions.
- Demand boost: Globally, a scrappage policy has been followed by a boost in demand in the auto manufacturing sector, especially in Europe and the US.
- Steel sector boost: Most steel-producing countries are trying to bring down emissions by shifting from iron-ore-based production to scrap-based production.
- Emission control: As older vehicles pollute the environment 10 to 12 times more, and estimated that 17 lakh medium and heavy commercial vehicles are more than 15 years old.
Issues with the scrappage policy
- Lack of scrappage infrastructure: Scrapping in India is highly unorganized. We have a perfect example of ships scrappage where it is not largely mechanized.
- Advisory nature: This policy has only ‘advised’ the state governments and the automobile industry to provide voluntary incentives to the owners of old vehicles.
- No initial incentivization: The central government has not committed to make it a fiscal stimulus strategy for quicker renewal of ageing, heavy-duty vehicle fleet with BS-VI vehicles — or to link other segments with targeted electrification.
- Fleet renewal: The focus on targeted fleet renewal for maximum emissions gains is still weak.
- Burden on States: The proposed policy puts the entire onus of incentivizing on the state governments. They have been advised to waive off a big chunk of road tax and registration fees on replacement vehicles.
- Expected revenue loss: These are important sources of state revenue, and the reaction of the state governments is still not known.
What can be an effective strategy?

(1) For Transportation vehicles
- More nuanced approach: Consider that some truck owners may want to only dispose of the very old trucks without replacing them. But others may want to scrap and replace the older trucks.
- Targeting end-of-life vehicles: In that case, a rebate can be given to the owners of end-of-life vehicles who are interested in ‘only scrapping’ the vehicle without immediately replacing them.
(2) For Personal vehicles
- EV boost: For them, the central incentive can be linked with the replacement with electric vehicles.
(3) Build-in manufacturers’ responsibility
- Mandatory recyclability: The new policy also needs to align with the mandate for the manufacturers to meet targets for the recyclability of material. Make this mandatory as part of the scrappage policy.
(4) Implementing AIS 129 standard
- It is encouraging that the Automotive Industrial Standard-129 (AIS 129) on reuse, recycling and material recovery from vehicles were framed in 2015.
- This requires 80-85 per cent of the material used in vehicle manufacturing by mass to be recoverable/recyclable/reusable at the end of life.
Way forward
- Safe disposal of scrappage: This first-ever formal scrappage policy in India is urgently needed to help build infrastructure for safe disposal and material recovery to minimise environmental hazards.
- Proper incentivization: It is necessary to leverage this targeted fleet renewal with well-designed central support for a post-pandemic green deal.
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January 25, 2023
What ails the Ken-Betwa River Link Project?
The Steering Committee of the Ken-Betwa Link Project (KBLP) held its third meeting in New Delhi.

What is the Ken Betwa Link Project?
- The Ken-Betwa Link Project is the first project under the National Perspective Plan for the interlinking of rivers.
- Under this project, water from the Ken River will be transferred to the Betwa river.
- Both these rivers are tributaries of the river Yamuna.
The Project has two phases:
- Under Phase-I, one of the components — Daudhan dam complex and its appurtenances like Low Level Tunnel, High Level Tunnel, Ken-Betwa link canal and Power houses — will be completed.
- While in the Phase-II, three components — Lower Orr dam, Bina complex project and Kotha barrage — will be constructed.
Utility of the Project
- Irrigation: The project is slated to irrigate 10.62 lakh hectares annually, provide drinking water supply to 62 lakh people and generate 103 MW of hydropower and 27 MW of solar power.
- Water supply: The project will be of immense benefit to the water-starved Bundelkhand region, spread across Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
- Agricultural boost: The project is expected to boost socio-economic prosperity in the backward Bundelkhand region on account of increased agricultural activities and employment generation.
- Addressing Rural Distress: It would also help in arresting distress migration from this region.
Ecological issues with the project
- The government’s plan is based on a ‘surplus and deficit’ model that have little basis in science.
- There may not even be enough water in the Ken, a non-perennial river, to meet the projected needs of the Betwa – forget the needs of the Bundelkhand region.
- UP and MP could not agree on how water would be shared, particularly in the non-monsoonal months.
- The project plans to create a high reservoir-dam on the Ken River in the Panna National Park and Tiger Reserve for the KBLP.
- Downstream of the national park lies the Ken Gharial Sanctuary, created to protect the critically endangered Gangetic gharial (Gavialis gangeticus).
What are the legal problems?
- Approval by the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife to the Ken-Betwa link Project has not been proved.
- This is necessary for the improvement and better management of the wildlife therein as provided in Section 35(6) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
Issues with the projects
- Migration: It will lead to massive displacement of people
- Topography change: Since the Ganga basin topography is flat, building dams would not substantially add to river flows.
- Inundation: The transfer of such enormous amounts of water will inundate forests and land for reservoirs.
- Seismic hazards: The weight of billions of liters of water can have seismic implications in the Himalayan region.
- Financial expense: River inter-linking is an expensive business from building the link canals to the monitoring and maintenance of infrastructure.
- Political will: Implementation of the project not only needs a huge financial capital but also political support both is scarce commodities as of now.
- Consensus building for land acquisition: Another important issue is building consensus among states and Land acquisition.
- Ecological feasibility: Once the project is implemented it would lead to large-scale displacement of people and animals.
Criticisms of such projects
- Bad Science: Such projects are built on bad science and an outdated understanding of water systems and water management.
- Human determinism: Such projects go in contravention with natural process thereby generating more scope for threat than any opportunity.
Way forward
- Due diligence: Expert scrutiny during the project-approval stage are cornerstones of sound environmental governance.
- Independent hydrological study: of these rivers is necessary.
Conclusion
- No developmental project should destroy the ecology of remnant fragile ecosystems and an important tiger habitat in the country.
- Destructive impact of the proposed dam on the flow of water into and outside of this sanctuary should be immediately clear, as also its violation of the requirement under the Act for a sanctuary
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January 25, 2023
Green Comet appears close to Earth after 50,000 years
The rare green comet that last came to Earth about 50,000 years ago has returned to the skies of Earth. C/2022 E3 (ZTF) can be seen with the naked eye if the conditions in the sky are just right.

What are Comets?
- Comets are frozen rocky or gas-filled objects that are remnants of the formation of the solar system.
- Due to their composition, characteristics and the path they move in, they tend to leave a light “behind them”.
- Here, the comet itself is green (called the head of the comet) and emits a whitish light behind it (often called the tail of the comet).
- Just like other bodies in space, comets also have orbits.
- They are sometimes pulled in close to the sun because of the sun’s gravity acting on them.
- As they orbit near the Sun, they heat up and spew gases and dust into a glowing head that can be larger than a planet.
- The remains of dust following this burning up, from a distance, look like a trail of light to humans on Earth.
What is Green Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF)?
- Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) was first discovered in March last year by the wide-field survey camera at the Zwicky Transient Facility when it was already inside the orbit of Jupiter.
- While it was initially believed to be an asteroid, it began developing a tail as the Sun’s influence began vapourising the ice.
- At the time of its discovery, it was shining with a magnitude of 17.3.
Why is it green in colour?
- Comets have often been seen giving out blue or whitish light, or even green.
- In this case, the green glow “is thought to arise from the presence of diatomic carbon – pairs of carbon atoms that are bound together – in the head of the comet.
- The molecule emits green light when excited by the ultraviolet rays in solar radiation.
When and where can the green comet be seen?
- Observers in the Northern Hemisphere will find the comet in the morning sky, as it moves swiftly toward the northwest during January.
- It’ll become visible in the Southern Hemisphere in early February.
- In Indian skies, when looking in the northwest direction, one might spot it 16° above the horizon in the Bootes constellation.
- But with lights from buildings and streetlights on, it can be difficult to make it out without equipment.
Is the green comet rare?
- It last came in the skies above Earth during the Upper Paleolithic period, a time when Neanderthals roamed the planet and early homo sapiens had just come around.
- Coming under the category of long-period comets, which take more than 200 years to orbit the Sun, the green comet is not easily spotted.
- With a highly elliptical orbit, the comet will head back to the Oort cloud and make its next appearance roughly 50,000 years later.
- But given their orbits, it’s not unique for comets to reappear close to Earth only after many, many years.
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January 25, 2023
Norovirus Cases detected in Kerala
The Kerala Health Department confirmed two cases of the gastrointestinal infection norovirus in class 1 students in Ernakulam district.

What is Norovirus?
- Norovirus is an important cause of acute non-bacterial gastroenteritis in children as well as adults worldwide.
- It leads to diarrhoea, vomiting, nausea, and abdominal pain. Being a diarrhoeal disease, it can lead to dehydration, so drinking plenty of fluids is recommended.
- The virus was first discovered in connection with an outbreak of acute diarrhoeal disease in Norwalk, Ohio, in 1968 and was called the Norwalk Virus.
- Later, several stomach flu viruses closely linked to the Norwalk virus were found and together, these are now called Noroviruses.
- Many stomach flu outbreaks typically in cruise ships have been traced to NoV.
How deadly is this?
- Norovirus is not new; it has been circulating among humans for over 50 years and is thought to be one of the primary causes of gastroenteritis.
- The virus is estimated to kill 200,000 persons globally every year, with most deaths occurring among those below the age of five years and those over the age of 65 years.
- The virus is capable of surviving low temperatures, and outbreaks tend to be more common during the winter and in colder countries — that is why it is sometimes referred to as “winter vomiting disease”.
What is the incidence of infection in India?
- Cases of norovirus are not as common in India as in many other places — at the same time.
- The infection has been reported in previous years as well, mainly from Southern India, and especially from Kerala.
- A 2021 study from Hyderabad reported that norovirus was detected in 10.3% samples of children who came in with acute gastroenteritis.
Can norovirus infection cause a large-scale outbreak?
- Even though more cases of norovirus are being detected, experts say that this is unlikely to lead to a large-scale outbreak.
- There is no epidemiological study to co-relate of these cases.
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January 25, 2023
Species in news: Olive Ridley Turtles
Hundreds of vulnerable Olive Ridley Turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) have washed ashore along the coastline between Kakinada and Antarvedi in the Godavari region during the ongoing annual breeding season on the east coast.

Why in news?
- The wastewater from the aqua ponds is also being released into the sea.
- This is suspected to be one of the reasons for the mortality of turtles
Olive Ridley Turtles
- The Olive Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), also known as the Pacific ridley sea turtle, is a medium-sized species of sea turtle found in warm and tropical waters, primarily in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
- In the Indian Ocean, the majority of olive ridleys nest in two or three large groups at Rushikulya rookery near Gahirmatha in Odisha.
- The coast of Odisha in India is the largest mass nesting site for the olive ridley, followed by the coasts of Mexico and Costa Rica.
- The species is listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List, Appendix 1 in CITES, and Schedule 1 in Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
Special feature: Mass nesting
- They are best known for their behavior of synchronized nesting in mass numbers, termed Arribadas.
- Interestingly, females return to the very same beach from where they first hatched, to lay their eggs.
- They lay their eggs in conical nests about one and a half feet deep which they laboriously dig with their hind flippers.
- They hatch in 45 to 60 days, depending on the temperature of the sand and atmosphere during the incubation period.
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January 25, 2023
Uniform Civil Code, Identity politics and the gender equality
Context
- Once again there is a clamour to replace diverse personal laws with a Uniform Civil Code (UCC), applicable to all Indians, irrespective of religion, gender or caste. Some states (for example, Uttarakhand) are already drafting one.
What is a Uniform Civil Code?
- A Uniform Civil Code is one that would provide for one law for the entire country, applicable to all religious communities in their personal matters such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption, etc.
- Article 44, one of the directive principles of the Constitution lays down that the state shall endeavor to secure a Uniform Civil Code for the citizens throughout the territory of India.
- These, as defined in Article 37, are not justiciable (not enforceable by any court) but the principles laid down therein are fundamental in governance.
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Inheritance laws at present
- Hindus are governed by the 2005 Hindu Succession Amendment Act (HSAA);
- Muslims by the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937;
- Christians and Parsis by the Indian Succession Act 1925 (amended by both communities subsequently), and
- Tribal groups are still subject to custom.
What makes unification difficult?
- Distinction in Hindu inheritance laws: Hindu inheritance distinguishes between separate property and coparcenary joint family property, giving coparceners rights by birth. No other personal law makes this distinction.
- Within Hindu law itself, states diverge: Kerala abolished joint family property altogether in 1976, but other states retained it, and matrilineal Hindus (as in Meghalaya and Kerala) have different inheritance rules from patrilineal Hindus. Even among the latter, Hindus historically governed by Dayabhagha (West Bengal and Assam) differ from those in the rest of India who were governed historically by Mitakshara.
- unrestricted right to will: The right to will is unrestricted among Hindus, Christians and Parsis, but Muslim law restricts wills to one-third of the property; and Sunni and Shia Muslims differ on who can get such property and with whose consent.
- Complex gender equal laws specifically in Muslims: for while the inheritance laws of Hindus, Christians and Parsis are largely gender equal today, under Muslim personal law, based on the Shariat, women’s shares are less than men’s, generically. Being embedded in the Koran, this complex structure of rules leaves little scope for reform towards gender equality.
- Land is treated differently from other property: The HSAA 2005, for instance, deleted the clause which discriminated against women in agricultural land, but the 1937 Shariat Act governing Muslims continues to exclude agricultural land from its purview, leaving a major source of gender inequality intact. Although Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala later amended the Shariat Act to include agricultural land, in many other states, landed property is still subject to tenurial laws which exclude Muslim women from inheriting it, contrary to their rights under the Shariat.
- Social justifications on who deserves to inherit differ: Hindus emphasise sapinda (“shared body particles” in Mitakshara and religious efficacy in Dayabhaga); other communities privilege blood or marital ties; and yet others favour proximity of children’s post-marital residence to provide parents care in old age.
Main concern: Deflection from the original aim of Gender equality
- Today, the UCC debate has become enmeshed with identity politics, deflecting it from the original aim of gender equality. And the mingling of legal reform with religious identity has sharpened political divisiveness.
Answer probably lies in: The discussions among women’s groups in the 1990s
1. Encourage each religious community to pursue its own reform for gender equality.
2. Constitute a package of gender-just laws which would coexist with personal laws, and a person could choose one or the other upon reaching adulthood.
3. Constitute a gender-equal civil code applicable to all citizens without option, based on the constitutional promise of gender equality, rather than on religious decree or custom.
Conclusion
- For a start, rather than one code covering inheritance, marriage, etc., we should discuss each separately. On inheritance, which is the most complex, a secular law based on constitutional rights will clearly go the farthest towards gender equality. Whether this is possible in today’s divisive political environment remains an open question. But at least we should restart the conversation.
Mains question

Q. What is Uniform civil code? Highlight some of the major points which makes the unification difficult.

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