According to an instruction issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), every ministry or department shall designate two separate officers, at least of the level of deputy secretary, as liaison officers -- one for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Persons with Disabilities, and another for Other Backward Classes.
The liaison officers play an important role in proper implementation of policy of reservation in services. But many a times, they fail to play their role effectively in absence of proper training on the subject, the DoPT said.
All ministries and departments were requested to nominate liaison officers for training. A training was conducted by ISTM in October, 2014 but the participation was not found to be encouraging. A similar programme has now been scheduled in October, 2015, it said.
It is requested that liaison officers may be nominated for the programme so that they can be familiarised with their duties and responsibilities, the DoPT said in an order sent to all ministries.
The details of liaison officers may also be prominently displayed on the website of the ministry or department for information of all concerned, it said.