Introducing a strict dress code, the Himachal Pradesh Government has directed its employees not to come to office or appear in court in casual attires like T-shirts, jeans and party wears. It has also restricted employees from airing their opinions on government policies on social media platforms.In a letter to all administrative secretaries and department heads, Chief Secretary Sanjay Gupta has issued instructions that “all government servants should be attired in appropriate, formal, clean, modest and decent clothes in sober colours”.As per the detailed instructions, the male employees will now be required to wear shirts and pants or trouser pants, collared shirts paired with pants, shoes or sandals. Female employees shall wear sarees, formal suits, salwars, churidars, kurtas with dupattas or trousers and shirts paired with chappals, sandals or shoes.The order points out that the guidelines regarding the office attire was issued in 2017, but several employees were not adhering to them. “The dress code aims to maintain modesty and decorum in the services…all employees should also pay due attention to grooming and personal hygiene,” the order said. Last year, the government had issued dress code for teachers.Further, the order has directed the employees not to express opinion on government policies or schemes through personal social media accounts, or to make political or religious statements in any public forum, vlogs and other social media platforms. “The government employees are subject to certain restrictions when it comes to expressing their views on social media, which are primarily intended to maintain the integrity and impartiality of service,” the Chief Secretary wrote. The employees have been advised to adhere to these instructions in letter and spirit, and any violation would invite disciplinary action against the erring official.Employee leaders welcomed the instructions, with one of them saying: “It is desirable to have people in decent and formal attire in the office, but it’s difficult to sustain this over a longer period as witnessed in the past. As far as restrictions on the use of social media are concerned, we are fine with it as long as they do not interfere with our right to freedom of speech and expression.”