RAS question
The District Collector in Rajasthan serves as:
Correct answer: (D) Chief executive of the district with multiple roles.
In Rajasthan, the District Collector serves as the district's chief executive authority with multiple roles, including District Magistrate, revenue head, development coordinator and District Election Officer.
Explanation
The District Collector is not a single-function officer. The official Rajasthan District Gazetteer for Karauli describes the Collector as the highest administrative officer of the district, the chief representative of the government, the District Magistrate, the head of district revenue administration and the authority responsible for development implementation. It also records that the Collector is designated as District Election Officer, responsible for electoral rolls and free and fair elections in the district. This is why option D is the best answer: the office combines revenue, law-and-order, election, coordination and development responsibilities at district level rather than being confined to one department.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) The Collector is the head of revenue administration, but the Gazetteer also assigns law-and-order, development, coordination and election responsibilities to the office.
- (B) Election work is one formal role of the Collector as District Election Officer, but it is only one part of a wider district administration mandate.
- (C) The Collector acts as District Magistrate for law and order, but the office also covers revenue administration, development work and district-level coordination.
Concept
This tests the RAS polity concept of district administration and the integrated role of the District Collector. It recurs because Rajasthan governance questions often ask how revenue, magistracy, elections and development converge at the district level.