In 2012, Kendriya Vidyalayas prescribed a "new uniform pattern"; scarf pattern for Muslim girls

Digital Desk: The Ministry of Human Resources announced on July 4, 2012, the adoption of a "new uniform pattern" by Kendriya Vidyalayas throughout the country. The change in dress code for its students was a first for the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, an autonomous agency under the HRD Ministry, currently known as the Ministry of Education, since its founding in 1963. New scarf and turban designs were among the alterations in the "new uniform pattern". Among the adjustments authorised by the KVS Board of Governors at its 92nd meeting on May 18, 2012, was a scarf with red hemming for Muslim females that matched the lower. Also Read: Odisha: 54-year-old man marries and cheats 14 women, arrested The HRD Ministry described the new design as an attempt to bring a contemporary touch to the uniform while also providing "a unique identity to its pupils while keeping comfort and cost factors in mind" in a statement made through the Press Information Bureau. Checks were made available to both boys and girls. Trousers were introduced for girls in grades IX-XII, replacing salwars. The new uniform was developed in collaboration with the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) and the Union Ministry of Textiles. There are 14.35 lakh pupils registered in the 1,248 Kendriya Vidyalayas across the country, with 6.55 lakh females and 7.79 lakh boys. While the most recent category-wise enrollment numbers are not available, 56,719 of the 12.09 lakh students registered in Kendriya Vidyalayas in 2015 were Muslims, including 23,621 females. On August 8, 2012, in response to a Lok Sabha question on the new dress code, the HRD Ministry stated that "the government has no role to play in the prescription of uniform for students of Kendriya Vidyalayas." “This is done by Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) themselves which is an autonomous body. However, KVS has informed that they have introduced a new uniform for its students so as to give a distinct identity. The dress code has been changed for the first time after 1963.”