SHIMLA, Mar 18: The government of Himachal Pradesh has issued fresh directives introducing a dress code for state government employees and laying down guidelines for their conduct on social media platforms.
The orders, issued by the Department of Personnel on March 16, have been circulated to all administrative secretaries, heads of departments and district authorities for strict implementation.
According to the directive, government employees have been asked to maintain a formal and dignified appearance while on duty and during official engagements, including court proceedings.
The order specifically directs employees to avoid casual attire in offices and clearly bars the use of jeans and T-shirts while performing official duties.
The government has also discouraged party wear, stating that the appearance of staff should reflect the decorum and dignity associated with public service.
As per the guidelines, employees are required to wear appropriate, clean and modest formal attire in sober colours.
Male employees are expected to wear shirts and trousers or collared shirts paired with formal pants along with proper footwear. For female employees, the prescribed dress code includes sarees, formal suits, salwar-kameez, churidars or kurtas with a dupatta, accompanied by appropriate footwear.
These latest directive aims to ensure better compliance and reinforce discipline and professionalism among government employees.
Along with the dress code, the state government has also issued detailed instructions regulating the use of social media by government employees.
In an order issued by Neeraj Kumar, Joint Secretary to the state government, employees have been directed to maintain responsible and dignified behaviour on social media and other public forums.
The guidelines state that government employees cannot share official documents or information related to government work on social media without prior permission from the competent authority.
They have also been directed not to publicly comment on government policies, schemes or administrative decisions through their personal social media accounts.
The order further emphasises that if employees express opinions on any platform, they must clearly state that these are their personal views and that the state government has no association with them.
Employees have also been advised to refrain from making political or religious statements on public forums, vlogs or other online platforms.
The directive comes in the backdrop of a recent controversy involving Oshin Sharma, the Shimla Urban Sub-Divisional Magistrate, whose social media post appeared to promote a gym-related product and triggered debate over the online conduct of government officers. The issue reportedly reached the state government after the post drew public attention.
Following the controversy, Oshin Sharma removed the promotional content and later deactivated her social media accounts, where she reportedly had a large following across platforms.
Commenting on the issue, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, said that some officers had been actively engaging on social media and the government had issued the notification to regulate such activities and ensure discipline among public servants.
)UNI)
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