New uniform for staff with ‘Indian’ touch ahead of Special Session of Parliament

The special session of the Parliament, scheduled next week, will be held in the new Parliament building and the staff will be seen in new uniforms in both Houses. Reportedly, the new uniform will have an "Indian" touch to it.

As per a report by Times of India, the new uniforms of the legislative staff include a cream-coloured jacket, khaki trousers and a cream shirt with pink lotus motifs printed on it.

The uniforms are said to be gender-neutral. According to the sources, the designs of these new uniforms have been created by the National Institute of Fashion Technology, the report added.

The uniforms have been handed over to all the 271 staff members of both Houses, including the chamber attendants and even those who have been deployed for the verbatim reporting services. However, the security officers from the Parliament Security Service will be given army camouflage uniforms instead of the previous blue safari suits.

"...whoever is called for House duty, will have to wear the uniform. For Parliament staff working outside the House or Chambers, it is not mandatory. However, duty attendance in the House is as per the roster, it's by rotation so anyone can be called. And in that case, the uniform is compulsory...

...so far Safari suits in summer and Bandhgalas in winter have been the dress code. Women staff have been wearing saris with lightweight coats in summers and blazers in the winters," said a staff at Parliament requesting anonymity.

"Parliament staff is now hoping if the media protests or takes a dig, it might register with the higher-ups. And this won’t become the dress code for future sessions as well," the staff added.

According to the internal circular cited by Times of India, all the officials and personnel collected their respective uniforms on September 6. Although there was a plan to unveil the new uniform when the new parliament building was inaugurated, it got delayed.

The five-day special session of Parliament is going to commence on September 18, which at first will begin in the old premises and will then shift to the new Parliament building on the day of Ganesh Chaturthi, September 19. The session will conclude on September 22. This special session was announced by the Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi on August 31.

The new Parliament building was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 28, this year. On the day of the inauguration of the new Parliament building, PM Modi called the new building the symbol of the country’s democracy.