Context

While addressing the State Home Ministers’ conference in Haryana, the Prime Minister has flagged the idea of “one nation, one police uniform” to have a brand recall just like the red-and-black post boxes in the country.

Background

• 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 of their personnel, there are at times inconsistencies in their official attire.
  
  
• For example:
  • The Kolkata Police wear white
  • Puducherry Police constables wear bright red caps with their khaki uniforms.
  • Delhi Traffic Police personnel wear a white and blue uniform

Provisions for Police forces in India:

• The Indian Constitution puts ‘police forces’ under the jurisdiction of state governments, and each of the 28 states has its 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.

Significance of One Nation, One police uniform:

• Reduction in the cost of Uniform production.
• Uniformity in Police forces uniform will bring a sense of collectivism among police forces of different states.