Modi's Mann ki Baat: NIFT has a new 'Khadi' design for Indian postmen 

The government of India unveiled a new uniform for the Department of Posts personnel, including postmen and multi-tasking staff, which is made of khadi. "Our Prime Minister has been promoting khadi. We started the process around 25 days back and decided to come up with this khadi uniform in khaki colour. "There is immense potential for Khadi (Khadi and Village Industries Commission) and Department of Posts," Communications Minister Manoj Sinha said while launching the uniform. Sinha said the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) presented the design to the government and the postal department decided to accept it. The new uniform also replaces the "Gandhi topi" with a p-cap.

The colour of the uniform for postmen and postwomen will remain the same. The new dress carries the logo of 'India Post' on the pocket and the cap, along with red stripes on shoulders and shoulder blade.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his 'Mann Ki Baat' program said that khadi is not a cloth but it is a notion. Khadi is connected with the livelihood of the artisan. "He said khadi for the nation, khadi for fashion and now khadi for transformation. Postal department is the third to adopt it in this direction," Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Minister Giriraj Singh said.

The uniform will be gradually made available at over 7,000 retail outlets of KVIC and will be priced at Rs 1,500 for men and Rs 1,700 for women. "It will be offered at discount of 10 percent to postal employees," KVIC Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena said. Saxena said the total fabric required for making uniforms for 90,000 postmen and postwomen would be around 8 lakh metres, which would be supplied by top 37 khadi institutions of the country - from Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka, among others. As per rules, it is mandatory for postmen and postwomen to sport a uniform. They are given a 'uniform allowance' of Rs 5,000 every year. "The new uniform will help in ending variations in uniforms that postmen purchased from various places," Department of Posts Secretary A N Nanda said.