CIVICS

Rural Administration

• There are more than 6 lakh villages in India. Taking care of their needs for
water, electricity and roads is a big task. In addition to taking care of basic
facilities, tasks like maintenance of land records and resolution of conflict
also have to be taken care of.
• Taking care of all this tasks is the job of the rural administration.
• Police stations are established all over the country to help maintain law and
order in every area. We can approach a police station to resolve disputes
and report crimes.
• Every police station has a specific area under its control. Everyone in the
area can report cases of theft, accident or injury etc. at their local police
station.
• The person in charge of a police station is called a station house officer
(SHO). It is the responsibility of the police to enquire disputes or crime,
especially if they are reported. It must also take action on such matters in
the area under its control.
• The person who maintains land records in a village is known as the patwari.
The patwari is known by different names in different regions in the country.
Some examples are lekhpal, kanungo, karamchari, village officer etc.
• Patwari measure the land and maintain & update records of who owns land
and other resources in the village.
• Patwari also maintain records of how much land a person or a family owns.
They usually have a map of the village. Patwari also collect land revenue
and provide information to the government about the crops grown in their
area.
• All states in India are divided into districts. These districts are further
subdivided into tehsils (or talukas).
• The head of the district is the District Collector. Many revenue collectors
known as the tehsildars, who can work under the directions of the District
Collector.
• Tehsildars hear disputes supervise the work of the patwaris, ensure that all
records are kept properly and the land revenue was collected efficiently.
Tehsildars also must make sure that people are able to obtain a copy of
their records (such as land records and caste certificates) easily from their
office. All land disputes in the tehsil are heard in the tehsildar's office.
• Till recently, in some states, Hindu women did not get a share in the
family’s agricultural land. After the death of the father, his property was
divided equally only among his sons.
• The Hindu Succession Amendment Act, 2005 was passed to enable women
to get an equal share in the land. Under this law, sons and daughters as
well as their mothers can get an equal share in the land.