Shimla: The Himachal Pradesh government has enforced a strict dress code for its employees, barring both men and women from wearing casual outfits like jeans and T-shirts during office hours and in courts.
The move aims to reinforce professionalism, decorum and modesty in the workplace, said a senior official of the government.
They have also been strictly advised against expressing their opinions on policy matters of the state government or adversely commenting on their social media posts.
The new guidelines issued by the government make it clear to the employees to wear formal, clean and modest clothing in sober colours.
“Casual or party wear is strictly prohibited in the office and during court appearances,” said the official circular.
For male employees, the dress code specifies shirts with pants or trousers, paired with shoes or sandals. Female employees are expected to wear sarees, formal suits, salwars/churidars/kurtas with dupattas, or trouser pants with shirts, paired with chappals, sandals, or shoes.
Jeans and t-shirts are explicitly disallowed. The government employee attire should reflect a sense of decorum, decency, and professionalism.
Himachal Pradesh has diverse climatic zones, where people traditionally dress according to extreme and routine weather conditions; however, the new guidelines emphasise a standardised and formal dress code for employees, irrespective of regional climate variations.
Only some time back, a bench hearing a case relating to a government matter had snubbed a female officer about her choice of dress when she had to appear in court.
The Court had reprimanded the officer and advised that officials coming to the courts must look sober and come only in formal attire, not casuals or jean t-shirts.
Himachal officials also issued guidelines for the employees who are active on social media and advised them to follow the rules, not to make comments online about policies.
The state’s department of personnel also told the government employees not to disseminate official information without authorisation