Addressing the first Chintan Shivir (brainstorming session) of state home ministers and top police officers on Friday (October 28), Prime Minister Narendra Modi pitched the idea of “One Nation, One Uniform” for Indian police forces.
“The ‘One Nation, One Uniform’ for police is just an idea. I am not trying to impose it on you. Just give it a thought. It may happen, it may happen in 5, 50, or 100 years. All the states should just think it over,” the PM said, adding that he believed the identity of police across the country should be the same.
Prime Minister Modi’s suggestion “One Nation, One Uniform” is in line with his broader attempt to introduce a uniform set of policies across the country. In August, the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers announced that it had implemented the “One Nation One Fertiliser” scheme. The Government of India in August 2019 had introduced the “One Nation One Ration Card” scheme.
Law and order is a State Subject
The Indian Constitution puts police forces under the jurisdiction of state governments, and each of the 28 states have their own police force. Both ‘public order’ and the ‘police’ are placed in List II (State List) of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution, which deals with the division of powers between the Union and States.
In the circumstances, it is unclear how the PM’s suggestion, if the government were to take it up seriously, might be implemented.
While police personnel in India are often associated with the colour khaki, their uniforms do differ in varying degrees in different regions. Since state governments and even an individual force can decide the uniform their personnel wear, there are at times inconsistencies in their official attire.