New Delhi: The Centre has asked over 450 Indian Administrative Service officers working in various departments across the country to undergo mid-career training programme failing which would deprive them of career benefits. A list of 453 officers has been sent to chief secretaries of states and Union Territories asking them to "timely release" the officers to attend the mandatory Mid-Career Training Programme (MCTP). Of the total, 278 IAS officers of 1998-2004 batches have been asked to undergo phase III between July 2-August 24, 2012 and 175 others of 1979-84 batches to undergo fifth phase of MCTP between October 1-November 2, 2012. "All phases of the MCTP are mandatory and also entail advance planning in terms of tying up with foreign/domestic partner institutions and faculty resources, apart from handling the logistics connected to foreign visits etc. "Hence timely release of the officers, who have enrolled 'On-line' for the Phase-III and Phase V programme is extremely important and may kindly be ensured," the Department of Personnel and Training (DOPT) said in its directives to all States and UTs administrations. The officers who are superannuating on or before December 31, 2015 shall not be nominated for the training programmes, it said. The DOPT in its recent letter has asked the Cadre Controlling Authorities (CCAs) not to grant any benefits to officers who fail to complete the mandatory phases of the MCTP aimed at improving "next level competencies". "I have observed that the full capacity of the various phases of the programme is not being utilised as officers are not being released by the CCAs... "I would like to reiterate that it is mandatory for every IAS officer to complete the various phases of the MCTP... within the given three chances... and that the officers should be granted the career benefits only after they have successfully completed the respective phases," DOPT Secretary PK Misra had said.