Tripura issues dress code for govt officials

AGARTALA: The Tripura government has introduced a dress code for its officials banning jeans, cargo pants and goggles and instructed them not to use mobile phones during official meetings, in a memorandum issued last week.

In a memorandum issued by Sushil Kumar, principal secretary for revenue, education and information and cultural affairs departments asked all district magistrates and district officials to ensure proper dress code at the meetings chaired by either chief minister or his deputy.

“I had never seen any officer from IAS or other central services coming to office wearing jeans or denim shirts while he was in central government service for three years,” he said.

Kumar said this while recalling an incident where Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan reprimanded an IAS official for receiving him at the airport wearing goggles.

Kumar also said in the memorandum that few officials access their mobile phones during meetings which is a mark of ‘disrespect’ to the person chairing the meeting.

He also cited instances where officials were seen taking calls on their mobile phones during official meetings, which the memorandum said, should be avoided.

The principal secretary recalled former chief minister Manik Sarkar’s advice to the government officials to keep their hands off their pockets during a conversation.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) condemned the government’s decision saying that dress code is an individual’s choice. “Dress code has no link with welfare of people. A person should have the freedom to wear what he likes. The government’s interference in this regard is not welcome,” said Communist Party of India (Marxist) state secretary Bijan Dhar.

Tripura is not the only state to suggest a dress code for government officials.

Earlier, Madhya Pradesh government has issued an advisory asking officials not to wear jeans and goggles during official functions.