Lanka Dinakar, BJP leader and the Chairman of Andhra Pradesh 20-Point Programme, told the media on Wednesday, March 11 that the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) is being implemented effectively in the state of Uttarakhand.
“During our study tour in Uttarakhand, we observed the implementation of the UCC and found it to be proceeding smoothly, with no allegations or discrepancies as were propagated prior to its enactment," said Lanka Dinkar, who visited Uttarakhand along with a group of Andhra government officials as part of a study tour in February 2025.
The 20-Point Programme is aimed at poverty alleviation and quality-of-life improvements to align with Andhra Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu’s Swarna Andhra-2047 goals. The program prioritizes technology-driven governance—including AI, GIS mapping, and 3D modeling—to monitor 65+ central/state welfare schemes. The statements made by Lanka Dinakar, led to speculation that the state was planning to implement it as well.
TNM spoke to Lanka Dinakar regarding Andhra Pradesh’s study tour to Uttarakhand, to understand whether the south Indian state has plans to implement the UCC and the objective of the multi-state tour.
Considering how different Uttarakhand and Andhra Pradesh are geographically and economically, what prompted the need to study Uttarakhand?
We did not visit Uttarakhand exclusively. We also visited states like Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh to study centrally sponsored schemes and development. We intend to go to Uttar Pradesh next. When we decided to visit other states in India, CM Chandrababu Naidu asked us to visit 4-5 states and prepare a detailed report. Uttarakhand for instance, has issues that are similar to our own. Areas in Andhra like Araku and Paderu face issues pertaining to the forest economy that Uttarakhand deals with. The plan is not to replicate things as they are. But more to see what applies for us – like for instance we learnt how forests can be managed without hindering the forest economy when we visited the Forest Research Institute in Dehradhun. They (in Uttarkhand) produce apples a lot but can do far better when it comes to value addition during processing. So this communication between states also encourages knowledge transfer.
What can Andhra Pradesh learn from the states you have visited and studied?
In Uttarakhand, the Lakhpati Didi scheme is being implemented quite well. The Union government initiative aims to empower women in Self-Help Groups (SHGs) to earn a sustainable annual household income of Rs 1 lakh or more began in Uttarakhand. But as of now Andhra has the highest ‘Lakhpati Didis’. We wanted to see if there are things we could adopt.
News reports also mentioned that you were studying the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in your capacity as the 20-Point Programme chairman.
Not at all. While in Uttarakhand, we also realised that it was the only state to have implemented the UCC in a detailed fashion. So we sat down and spoke to the Joint Secretary of the home department there for a couple of hours. We made notes on the issue, sure. But this was me trying to understand it out of my own interest. It has nothing to do with Andhra Pradesh.
So the Andhra Pradesh government is not considering implementing UCC in the state?
No, not at all. Like I said, we didn’t go there to study the UCC. We studied forests, tourism and temple management. That being said I was also keen on understanding implementation issues. I wanted to know what Uttarakhand’s constraints were. For instance, people in Uttarakhand marry a lot of Nepalese nationals. So registering marriages or administering divorce certificates becomes a hassle there at times and currently the government is adapting and making changes as per operating procedures. But again, any statements I made on UCC, were made in the capacity of a BJP National Council member. Not the chairman of the 20-Point Programme.
When the UCC was first implemented in Uttarakhand, two major criticisms emerged. One that it affects religious freedom and two that it infringes on an individual’s right to privacy. Do you still believe the law to be a good idea?
It is a good idea. But practical constraints differ from state to state. For instance, the way UCC was implemented in Uttarakhand cannot be done in Andhra. We don’t have an international border. So problems differ. Those adjustments can be made if the need arises. But we can’t just copy-paste the Uttarakhand blueprint. That being said, the UCC is to make laws uniform and despite constraints, it is a useful law.
An obvious question that emerges is that you seem to have visited those states which are ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Is that a deliberate choice?
Again untrue. We wanted to visit Tamil Nadu. Initially, the government agreed but then told us that they would send over whatever information we asked for and said we need not visit. We have plans to visit Telangana. Kerala and West Bengal have to wait owing to state elections there this year.
And to be fair, we didn’t get to go to all BJP ruled states either. We didn’t get clearance from the Maharashtra government.
Tentatively, what are initiatives made by other states that Andhra is mulling to adapt?
Rajasthan has done a fantastic job with its Jan Aadhar card. It's a card which outlines how many members of a family are receiving centrally sponsored schemes and is linked to each person’s Aadhar card. Rajasthan has also implemented an aspirational districts programme titled Guru Golwalkar Aspirational Block Development Scheme very well in addition to the one brought in by the BJP-led Union government.
In Chattisgarh, the Naya Raipur capital has been in existence for 25 years now. There are practical considerations they still face. Despite providing employees with quarters to reside in the capital, people often leave after work hours. So to make the capital a sustainable place for living, they are trying to come up with solutions. Considering that we are building a capital in Amaravati, it is good to learn from them in this case as well so that we can avoid future problems.