Rajasthan Cong Govt orders to change 'saffron touched' school uniform

Jaipur: After finding the school uniform too close to saffron akin to RSS dress, the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government in Rajasthan has decided to replace the colour of the government school uniform with a combination of surf blue and dark grey.

Light brown shirt or kurta, and brown trousers or shorts, salwar, skirt, which is presently in use has been brought in by the Vasundhara Raje led BJP government in 2017 after twenty years.

In a notice issued by the School Education Department, it is mentioned that students in all government-run schools will wear a uniform that is a combination of surf blue and dark grey. In winters, dark grey coats and sweaters would be added. While the new uniform wouldn't be enforced in the present academic session, it will be mandatory from the academic year 2022-23.

While 66 lakh students who are studying in Classes 1 to 8 in government schools are entitled to get free uniforms, students who are studying higher classes have to pay for uniforms.

Meanwhile, the former education minister and the BJP MLA Vasudev Devnani criticised the Congress government's decision to change the uniform which he said uncalled for that will inflict an extra monetary burden on parents amid the COVID induced financial crisis.

Before the BJP government introduced new uniform colours in 2017, the last time this had been changed was in 1997. "The new uniform will closely resemble the one in place earlier," said Ramkrishna Agarwal, the president of the All Rajasthan School Teachers' Union.