Dress Code Change in New Parliament; Uniforms with ‘Indian touch’ (image-www.pib.gov.in)

New parliament building is all prepared to hold its first special session on September 18. The session will commence with many notable changes including new uniforms for the personal deployed in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

All the Safari suits will be replaced by cream-coloured mandarin collared shirts with pink lotus flower prints for the House officers. The lotus symbols on the shirts are expected to draw controversies since it is a party symbol. The staffs are also provided with maroon sleeveless jackets over the shirt.

Apart from before, the uniforms are allocated according to the duties of the staffs. Initially, all the staffs wore same safari suit, but now the Parliament Security Services will have a different uniform with army camouflage pattern. They will no longer be wearing their old blue colour safari suits. However, the CRPF’s Parliamentary Duty Guard (PDG), looking after the outer periphery security of Parliament building will continue to wear their old uniform.

Khakhi trousers will be provided. The uniforms will be standardized for the entire staff on both the Houses. It’s not clear whether the uniform provided will be gender neutral or not. No information regarding women uniforms were provided.

The uniforms are handed over to 271 staffs including chamber attendants and verbatim reporting service personnel.

Reports suggest that the uniforms are designed by the National Institute of Fashion Technology.

In an internal circular issued, it has asked all the entitled officials to collect their attires on September 6.

The special session on September 18 will begin in the old Parliament as a farewell to the current Parliament building and will then move to the new Parliament building for further House proceedings. On the first day, both the Houses are likely to engage in discussion regarding the role and significance of the old Parliament building, pre and post-independence.

(Inputs from Business Line)