On the second day of the Chintan Shivir for Home ministers in Surajkund Haryana, Prime Minister Narendra Modi proposed the idea of ‘one nation one uniform for Police‘
In recent years India has witnessed many breakthroughs in fields of science, technology, politics, and economic field from promoting equality in career opportunities to One nation one ration card; one nation one pension; one nation one mobility card; one nation one fertilizer to ‘one nation one uniform for Police’.
During the Chintan Shivir ( brainstorming session) PM Modi discussed with the states and union Territories to not take it as an imposition but as a thought wrapped in a good intention to give a common identity to the police force.
A uniformed attire for the police force will boost the centralized quality production of uniforms on a large scale and will even aid in easy recognition of police personnel anywhere in India and give a common identity to all the law enforcement agencies in the country.
The current state of police uniform
At the present moment the uniform worn by the police across the country is the khaki uniform acquired from the colonial lineage, but the color, fabric, and patterns of the uniform change in every State and UT.
The Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) which comes under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) designed a new all-weather friendly ‘smart uniform ‘ for police with the corporation of (NID) National Institute of Design in the year 2017 and sent the report to all states and UTs.
It has developed nine prototypes of the new uniform with features such as trousers, shirt, cap, jacket, belt, shoes, and insignia changed with newly designed rain and headgear for the police.
It is an important fact that law and order is a state subject so any changes for decisions on the uniform and policing matters lie in the hands of the local government.
The need for a smart uniform for law enforcers
The research conducted by the BPRD revealed that the present uniform has a few flaws and improvements can be made the trouser fabric is too thick which makes it inconvenient to wear in hot weather conditions, it did not have enough space to carry official objects like any devices or cellphones as the police of other countries would carry. The metal belts were too heavy and would like in the stomach with a little bending, and the headgear was too heavy and create discomfort in a law and order situation.
The public cops even complained that the khaki color is not much observable at night and is too much like the uniform worn by postmen, private agencies, and municipalities ets stealing away the uniqueness of the police. Moreover, leather shoes also make it difficult in hot weather conditions.
The newly designed uniform has a lighter khaki color (beige) which provides clear visibility of insignias, nameplates, medals, ribbons, and a standardized policy printed on the back.
This is a welcome step in the Chintan shivir which must be appreciated as India is moving ahead with technological advancements like 5G and the modernization of various departments of the country.
He Chintan shivir is the two-day conference of home ministers, home secretaries, and Director General of Police (DGP), of states and UTs and (CAPF) Central Armed Police Forces, and Central police organization to provide a perspective for policy formulation on internal security related matters.
