NEW DELHI: A change in working style usually comes with a change in wardrobe. Officials of the Central government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, may have to shed the habit of informal dressing and slip into formal clothing instead.
Walking into the ministry in a pair of denims, strappy footwear or T-shirts isn’t appreciated. Reporting to work sharp at 9 am and working on Saturdays isn’t enough in the NDA government led by a PM who likes to work CEO style. Though there is no official diktat from the corridors of power, babus coming to government offices are now being asked to dress “appropriately”.
Interestingly, the diktat is meant both for permanent and contractual staff. “Contractual staff is a huge workforce cutting across various ministries. In some ministries, contractual staff number much more than the permanent ones. But as they are not a regular part of the system, their dressing style is more casual. There have been many instances where they have been asked to dress appropriately,” said an official working with the Environment Ministry.
Recently, when a casually-dressed junior official reached the entrance of the Environment Ministry, a senior bureaucrat clicked his picture on his mobile phone and informally pulled him up for turning up for work in jeans,
T-shirt and sandals.
In some cases, men have been urged to wear full- sleeved shirts and neckties while female employees have been asked to wear suits and sarees. A woman employee in the Health Ministry, working on contractual basis, said, “I have not been directly told or suggested anything as yet. But I know of officials who have got such advice.”