Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has asked all the central government hospitals and medical institutes to design the new dress code for the convocation ceremony. The Ministry has written a letter to all the Heads of the Central Government Hospitals and Medical Teaching Institutes in this regard.

The Ministry emphasised the importance of this change as a step towards breaking away from colonial legacies and embracing India’s rich cultural tapestry. It said, that the various institutes use black robes and caps during convocation ceremonies and this tradition originated in the Middle Ages in Europe and has a colonial legacy. The Ministry directed the institutes to design appropriate Indian dress codes for the Convocation Ceremony based on the local traditions of the State in which the Institute is located.