New Delhi: In what is the latest instance of the Union government tackling a subject firmly in the purview of state governments, the junior Union home minister Nityanand Rai has told the Lok Sabha of his ministry’s “suggestion” to states to consider a “One Nation One Uniform Policy”. Rai also spoke of the existence of a committee named ‘One Nation One Police Uniform.’In a reply to a question raised by six MPs in the Lok Sabha, Rai said that, “During the Chintan Shivir of Home Ministers of States organised by Ministry of Home Affairs on 27-28th October 2022, it was suggested to the States to consider the One Nation One Police Uniform to create a distinct identity of police and to ensure that citizens easily recognize police personnel across the country.”All six MPs who asked the question are from the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Shiv Sena breakaway faction of Eknath Shinde.The Union government said that 24 states have responded to the government on this and a committee has been constituted in the Bureau of Police Research & Development. This committee has some members of states and Union territories, representatives of Textile Research Associations, the Troop Comforts Limited and the Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS).Police and law and order is a state subject in the state list of the Seventh Schedule.There is no clarity yet on what the 24 states have said in response. Police reform has been a matter of concern for the Supreme Court as well as activists. Conditions in custody, methods of investigation, treatment of witnesses and also prevention of custodial deaths, ensuring better and fair treatment of all citizens has been widely discussed. The Supreme Court of India passed a judgement on September 22, 2006 in Writ Petition (Civil) No.310 of 1996 – Prakash Singh and others vs UOI and others – on several issues concerning police reforms and issued seven specific directives. That said, police uniform has seldom been the focus of police reform. Uniforms in each state are distinct and a often bear a historical imprint of the state’s evolution.