The Raman Singh government has hauled up two IAS officers for not wearing formal dress while receiving Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his one-day visit to Chhattisgarh on May 9.
Bastar district magistrate Amit Kataria sported Ray-Ban sunglasses and wore two different shirts (bright blue and white and blue pin-stripes) at the time of receiving and seeing off Modi while Dantewada DM K C Devsenapati wore a white shirt. Special secretary, general administration, DD Singh issued a stern warning in separate letters to both on Wednesday .
Retired senior bureaucrats told TOI that there was no specific dress code in the service rules for officers but wearing formals was a convention. They added that it would be impractical to restrain an officer from wearing shades while attending an event in mid-day sun.
The warning sent to the Bastar DM said: “It came to the notice of the government that you did not wear a formal dress and wore sunglasses while receiving the Prime Minister.“
The Chhattisgarh special secretary said the conduct of the two DMs violated the All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968 which stipulates: “Every member of the service shall at all times maintain absolute integrity and devotion to duty and shall do nothing which is unbecoming of a member of the Service.“
Raman Singh said no further action was necessary as the officers had been warned. While ambiguous on dress code, the All India Services (Conduct) Rules require a civil servant to show “courtesy and consideration“ to an MPMLA and “rise from their seats while receiving them in their office“.
“However, as per convention, any officer receiving the Prime Minister, President or Vice-President, at his place of posting or a pub ic function, should be dressed in a formal attire which may be a bandhgala or a western suit worn with a tie,“ said N Gopalaswam who has served as CEC and Union home secretary.
He added that forma dress is also the convention when a bureaucrat calls on his concerned minister for the first time after joining a new posting.
“Wearing formals while receiving dignitaries is also part of our induction train ing, as the trainee officers are required to dress up in bandhgalas or formal suits when the President visits the Academy,“ said a former secretary with the department of personnel.
As for sunglasses, a former bureaucrat said: “Usually, when a DM makes a field visit to a place where labour ers are toiling in the sun without any eye protection, the officer may avoid wearing sunglasses out of concern.“
Bastar district magistrate Amit Kataria sported Ray-Ban sunglasses and wore two different shirts (bright blue and white and blue pin-stripes) at the time of receiving and seeing off Modi while Dantewada DM K C Devsenapati wore a white shirt. Special secretary, general administration, DD Singh issued a stern warning in separate letters to both on Wednesday .
Retired senior bureaucrats told TOI that there was no specific dress code in the service rules for officers but wearing formals was a convention. They added that it would be impractical to restrain an officer from wearing shades while attending an event in mid-day sun.
The warning sent to the Bastar DM said: “It came to the notice of the government that you did not wear a formal dress and wore sunglasses while receiving the Prime Minister.“
The Chhattisgarh special secretary said the conduct of the two DMs violated the All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968 which stipulates: “Every member of the service shall at all times maintain absolute integrity and devotion to duty and shall do nothing which is unbecoming of a member of the Service.“
Raman Singh said no further action was necessary as the officers had been warned. While ambiguous on dress code, the All India Services (Conduct) Rules require a civil servant to show “courtesy and consideration“ to an MPMLA and “rise from their seats while receiving them in their office“.
“However, as per convention, any officer receiving the Prime Minister, President or Vice-President, at his place of posting or a pub ic function, should be dressed in a formal attire which may be a bandhgala or a western suit worn with a tie,“ said N Gopalaswam who has served as CEC and Union home secretary.
He added that forma dress is also the convention when a bureaucrat calls on his concerned minister for the first time after joining a new posting.
“Wearing formals while receiving dignitaries is also part of our induction train ing, as the trainee officers are required to dress up in bandhgalas or formal suits when the President visits the Academy,“ said a former secretary with the department of personnel.
As for sunglasses, a former bureaucrat said: “Usually, when a DM makes a field visit to a place where labour ers are toiling in the sun without any eye protection, the officer may avoid wearing sunglasses out of concern.“
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