Do not delay appointments of SC, ST candidates: Govt

The appointment of candidates of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in central government departments should not be delayed for want of caste certificates and appointing ministry should seek report in this regard directly from the concerned District Magistrates.

The move comes after instances were noticed by the Centre where the appointments of the candidates belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC) communities are with-held or delayed due to pending caste certificates verification.

Therefore, in the situation where a candidate belonging to a SC, ST and OBC is unable to produce a certificate from any of the prescribed authorities, he or she may be appointed provisionally on the basis of whatever prima-facie proof he or subject to his or her furnishing the prescribed certificate within a reasonable time, an order issued by Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said reiterating its earlier directive.

If there is genuine difficulty in his or her obtaining a certificate, the appointing authority should itself verify his or her claim through the District Magistrate concerned, it said.

The DoPT had earlier written to Chief Secretaries of all states and union territories for streamlining the system of verification of caste certificates so that unscrupulous non-SC, ST or OBC persons are prevented from securing jobs meant for SCs, STs or OBCs by producing false certificates.

"Timely and effective verification of caste status is necessary so that the benefit of reservation and other scheme of concessions etc. Go only to the rightful claimants," the DoPT said.