‘Centre should give draft copy of UCC to prevent confusion among people’: Mangaluru Catholic Sabha
Mangaluru: The Catholic Sabha Central Committee has called for the Central Government to release a draft copy of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) to provide better understanding of the proposed law.
During a press conference held at the Press Club in Mangaluru, the Catholic Sabha's legal advisor, Praveen Pinto, expressed the view that instead of using a questionnaire to collect public opinion, the government should provide details on how the implementation of the UCC would impact personal laws. Pinto suggested that a draft copy of the UCC would help alleviate confusion among the people and enable them to provide informed feedback on the code.
Pinto highlighted the diverse religious, caste, and tribal communities in India, with over 10 religions, 3,000 castes, 25,000 sub-castes, and numerous scheduled castes and tribes. He emphasized that personal laws governing marriage, divorce, inheritance, and adoption apply to all citizens of India, regardless of their religion, caste, or race. However, he noted that personal laws based on customs and traditions specific to religion, caste, and race have distinct importance from a cultural perspective. Pinto stated that retaining personal laws is vital to preserving the cultural diversity of the country.
Allwyn D’Souza, President of the Catholic Sabha Mangaluru, requested that the state government declare September 8, the day Christians in the coastal district have been celebrating the Harvest Festival for centuries, as a government holiday. D’Souza also urged the government to increase the grant allocated to the Christian Development Corporation from Rs 100 crore to Rs 200 crore. Additionally, he called for the withdrawal of the anti-conversion law.
Former presidents of the Catholic Sabha, Paulo Rolphy D’Costa and Stanley Lobo, as well as General Secretary Wilma Monteiro and others, were present at the press conference.
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India & Israel elevate ties to special strategic partnership, vow to soon conclude free trade deal
Jerusalem (PTI): India and Israel on Thursday elevated their "time-tested" relationship to a special strategic partnership and agreed to soon firm up a "mutually beneficial" free trade deal even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly backed the Gaza peace initiative, asserting that humanity must never become a victim of conflict.
Following talks between Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, the two sides inked a plethora of agreements to expand cooperation in areas of trade, agriculture, energy, cyberspace and digital payment.
India and Israel also vowed to expand their already close defence partnership by working towards joint development and joint production of military hardware under the framework of the transfer of technologies.
In his media statement, Modi said India's security interest is linked to peace and stability in the Middle East, adding that New Delhi fully supports the Gaza Peace Initiative.
"India's stance is clear: humanity must never become a victim of conflict. A path to peace has been created through the Gaza Peace Plan. India has fully supported these efforts," he said.
"In the future as well, we will continue dialogue and cooperation with all countries," he said.
PM Modi landed in Israel on Wednesday on a two-day visit. It is his second visit to Israel in nine years.
In his remarks, the prime minister said India and Israel have a united view that there is no place for terrorism in the world and both sides stand shoulder-to-shoulder in countering terrorism and its supporters.
"Our relationship is founded on the strong bedrock of deep trust, shared democratic values, and human sensitivities. Our bond has stood the test of every trial of time," he said.
"Today, we have taken the historic decision to elevate our time-tested partnership to the status of a 'Special Strategic Partnership'," he said.
The prime minister also announced the establishment of an India-Israel critical and emerging technologies partnership to impart a new momentum for cooperation in areas of artificial intelligence, quantum, and critical minerals. "I am pleased that an agreement has been reached for the use of UPI in Israel," he said.
The prime minister, referring to the threat of terrorism, said India and Israel will continue to confront the menace unitedly.
"India and Israel are completely clear that there is no place for terrorism in the world. In any form, in any expression, terrorism cannot be accepted," he said.
"We have stood shoulder-to-shoulder in opposing terrorism and its supporters, and we will continue to do so," he added.
India and Israel also discussed the implementation of the India-Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and cooperation under the framework of I2U2 (India-Israel-UAE-USA).
