Rural Administration In India

The rural population of India, as we know, is quite vast. And they have their unique set of problems and need some kind of guidance to smoothly sail through these. In villages, there are some people in-charge of rural administration in India. Let us take a look.

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Rural Administration in India

There is a special type of local governance in the Indian villages known as Panchayat Raj. But even these officials need help carrying out their policies. This is when the government officers come in. They carry out different functions in villages- from delivering justice to measuring land. Therefore, in this article, we will be looking at the different types of officers who are in charge of rural administration in India.

1] Role of the Police in Rural Administration in India

We can imagine there being conflicts between people regarding land or cattle in villages. How do you think these get solved? Let’s take a simple example. What if one landlord is physically violent towards an agricultural labourer for no reason? In cases like these, the labourer can approach the nearest police station and lodge a complaint against the landlord.

This may seem simple, but it is not a perfect picture in most villages of India. In most cases, the labourer is too scared to go to the police station as his life and job are at risk. Even if he goes there, the landlord could control the officers in the police station by bribing them with money. In many cases, the SHO (station head officer) is inefficient and also ignores complaints by calling them too “small” and “unimportant” for registration. Such is the sad situation of rural administration in India.

2] Patwari (Land Measurer)

Let us understand the role of a Patwari with an example. What if Ramu and Shamu are two farmers who have their plots next to each other and don’t know the boundary? They go to the village Patwari to solve their confusion. Thus, a Patwari is a person who is in-charge of measuring land in Indian villages.

He holds a record book of details like the map of the land, the crops that are grown there, the owner’s name, etc. In case there arises a confusion regarding the border between two different plots, the farmers can approach the Patwari of the village and get the confusion solved. He is usually in charge of a group of villages.

3] Tehsildar or Talukdar

We read the work of a Patwari above, but who keeps them in check? In India, the states are divided into districts and each district further subdivided into areas called Tehsils or Taluks. The head of those areas is respectively known as Tehsildar or Talukdar.

These people supervise the work of smaller officers like Patwaris mentioned above. They also look at the general law and order of their areas and also solve disputes that arise. These officers are also in charge of handing our community certificates to villagers, like a Schedule Tribe certificate.

4] District Collector

These are the officers who are the head of a district in a state who supervise the overall functioning of the district. A majority of them get the position by clearing the tough UPSC exam for IAS officers.

We now see how there could be different problems in rural areas of India. There are various government officers who are in- charge of solving different problems that arise.

Solved Question for You

Q: Which officer is in charge of maintaining land records in villages?

Answer: Patwaris are the officers in charge. Apart from just keeping the areas of plots, they also record the types of crops grown there!