The Himachal Pradesh government has issued a fresh directive mandating a strict formal dress code and regulating social media conduct for its employees, warning of disciplinary action for any violations.
In an official communication dated March 16, the department of personnel directed all administrative secretaries, department heads, and divisional commissioners to ensure compliance, noting that several employees had failed to adhere to previous instructions issued in 2017.
The order stipulates that government employees must wear formal and modest attire in sober colours during office or court proceedings.
Male employees are advised to wear shirts and trousers or collared shirts with pants, while female employees are required to wear sarees, formal suits, salwar-kameez, churidars, or kurtas with dupatta. The use of jeans and T-shirts has been specifically barred to maintain the decorum and dignity of public service.
The Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led Congress government’s decision to regulate social media usage follows a recent controversy involving a woman influencer-cum-sub divisional magistrate (SDM), who was forced to delete her account after a promotional post regarding gym-related products.
In the official order, joint secretary Neeraj Kumar said that government employees must maintain decorous conduct both on and off duty. Consequently, staff are now prohibited from sharing government documents without authorisation or posting content that criticises the administration or tarnishes its image.
Invoking the Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1964, the government cautioned that any public statement reflecting poorly on state policies or inter-government relations may invite disciplinary action.
The order prohibits expressing political or religious views in public forums, including blogs and vlogs, without prior approval.
Employees have been instructed to ensure that any personal opinions shared on digital platforms are clearly marked as private views with no official connection to the government.
