PANJIM: In a first for the State, the Department of Art and Culture has enforced a ‘moral’ dress code and banned its staffers from wearing sleeveless clothes, multi-pocket pants and jeans to work, the Goa Assembly was told on Tuesday. It has also made the department’s deputy directors as the moral police and instructed them to keep vigil against violation of the dress code.
According to sources, a few weeks back, several BJP Cabinet ministers had demanded a ban on “revealing” clothing in Goa, claiming such dresses were against Indian culture, in what many see as the continuation of the rightwing intolerant culture being witnessed in other parts of the country after the BJP-led government stormed to power in the country.
In a reply tabled in the House, Minister for Art and Culture Dayanand Mandrekar said that the instructions have been issued by the Tourism Director so that “decorum” could be maintained in the office premises.
“It is once again instructed that employees shall wear only formal dress and not wear jeans, corduroy, T-shirts, trousers with multiple pocket pants, sleeveless dresses, etc during office hours and official functions of the Directorate,” the Art and Culture Director Prasad Lolayekar’s inter-office memo directs as per the annexure attached to the answer placed in the House.
A MGP cabinet minister had some time ago also proposed a ban on bikinis on Goa beaches, as it was not part of “Indian culture”.
