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Predicted Questions with Model Answers
Q1 (5 marks — 50 words): What are the revenue functions of the District Collector in Rajasthan?
Model Answer:
The District Collector is the principal revenue authority in Rajasthan. Revenue functions under the Rajasthan Land Revenue Act, 1956: (1) Land revenue collection — from agricultural landholders; (2) Land records supervision — Khasra, Khatauni, Jamabandi maintained by Patwaris; (3) Mutation — overseeing transfer of land records (Naamantaran); (4) Land acquisition — determining compensation under LARR Act 2013; (5) Revenue court — hearing appeals against Tehsildar orders; (6) Girdawari supervision — biannual crop survey. The Board of Revenue, Ajmer hears second appeals against the Collector's orders.
Q2 (5 marks — 50 words): What is the role of the Patwari in Rajasthan's revenue administration?
Model Answer:
The Patwari is the foundation of Rajasthan's revenue administration — the primary field-level revenue official. Functions: (1) Maintaining Khasra (field register showing land use, ownership); (2) Girdawari — biannual crop inspection twice a year (Kharif and Rabi) reporting crop details to Tehsildar; (3) Processing mutation applications (Naamantaran) on land transfer; (4) Preparing Jamabandi (Record of Rights — every 5 years); (5) Reporting natural calamities affecting crops to the Tehsildar for relief. The Patwari's area is called a Halka (5–15 villages). Under APNA KHATA (digital Rajasthan), Patwaris update records digitally.
Q3 (10 marks — 150 words): Examine the relationship between the District Collector and the Superintendent of Police in managing law and order in Rajasthan.
Model Answer:
The District Collector (DM) and Superintendent of Police (SP) are the two primary district-level functionaries responsible for law and order in Rajasthan — one from the IAS and the other from the IPS. Their relationship is constitutionally defined but operationally complex.
The Collector's role in law and order derives from the powers of the District Magistrate under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) 2023 (formerly CrPC). The DM can issue Section 163 BNSS prohibitory orders (formerly Section 144 CrPC) banning assembly of five or more persons in sensitive areas, impose curfew conditions, and order preventive detention under the NSA 1980 and Rajasthan Public Safety Act 1970. The DM chairs all multi-agency law-and-order reviews, coordinates between police, paramilitary forces, and civil administration during crises.
The SP's role is operational: direct command over all police personnel in the district — from the Circle Inspector to constables. The SP deploys police force, manages police stations (thanas), investigates crimes through the CID, and leads anti-crime operations. The SP reports to the Inspector General of Police (IG) in the police hierarchy — not to the Collector.
The key distinction is that the Collector exercises general superintendence over law and order without having operational command over police personnel. The SP has full police command but cannot issue civilian prohibitory orders. This dual-control system is both its strength and weakness: strength in that civilian oversight prevents police high-handedness; weakness in that coordination failures between DM and SP during communal riots or political crises can delay effective response.
The Prakash Singh Case (2006, Supreme Court) directed states to ensure minimum 2-year tenure for SPs, set up State Security Commissions, and District Police Complaints Authorities — increasing police autonomy from both political and civilian (DM) interference. Rajasthan's Police Act 2007 incorporated some of these directions. However, in most practical situations, the Collector's civilian authority is respected, and the DM-SP relationship requires close coordination for effective governance.
Q4 (5 marks — 50 words): What is the development administration role of the District Collector in Rajasthan?
Model Answer:
Post-independence, the District Collector became the principal development coordinator in Rajasthan. Key development roles: (1) MGNREGS supervisor — ensuring 100 days of guaranteed employment to rural households; (2) DISHA Committee chair — monitoring all Central schemes' implementation at district level; (3) PMAY/PMGSY coordinator — housing and road scheme monitoring; (4) DDMA chair — disaster relief under DM Act 2005; (5) District Planning Committee (DPC) under Article 243ZD — integrating PRIs and municipalities into district plans; (6) DEO (District Election Officer) — election management. The Collector bridges the gap between state policy and ground-level implementation through these multiple development bodies.
Q5 (5 marks — 50 words): What are the functions of the Tehsildar in Rajasthan's district administration?
Model Answer:
The Tehsildar (RAS officer) is the primary administrative and revenue official at the Tehsil level in Rajasthan. Functions: (1) Revenue collection — land tax from farmers; (2) Land records — supervising Patwaris in maintaining Khasra, Khatauni, Jamabandi; (3) Mutation processing (Naamantaran) — hearing applications and passing mutation orders on land transfer; (4) Executive Magistrate — imposing Section 163 BNSS orders, recording dying declarations, conducting rural inquests; (5) Development — issuing caste/income/domicile certificates; overseeing MGNREGS works in the tehsil; (6) Natural disaster — reporting crop losses and recommending relief.
Q6 (10 marks — 150 words): Discuss the historical evolution and contemporary challenges of the District Collector in Rajasthan.
Model Answer:
Historical Evolution: The office of the District Collector was created by the British East India Company in 1772 under Warren Hastings for revenue collection from zamindars. Lord Cornwallis (1786) expanded the role to include criminal magistracy — making the Collector also the District Magistrate. By the 19th century, law-and-order functions were added. Post-independence (1947), the IAS replaced the ICS, but the Collector's role expanded enormously to include development administration — making the Collector the implementer of all Five Year Plan schemes at the district level. The role evolved from a tax-collector to a multi-functional administrator.
Contemporary Functions in Rajasthan: The Collector in Rajasthan today combines: (1) Revenue administration under the Rajasthan Land Revenue Act 1956; (2) Law and order as District Magistrate under BNSS 2023; (3) Development administration — coordinating 50+ Central and state schemes; (4) Disaster Management as DDMA Chair (DM Act 2005); (5) Election management as District Election Officer; (6) Census and statistical duties.
Contemporary Challenges:
Work overload: The Collector is simultaneously responsible for too many diverse functions — revenue, law and order, development, elections, disaster, courts — making meaningful attention to any one role difficult. The Second ARC (2008) recommended delegating some functions to specialist officers.
Short tenures: Despite legal provisions, average Collector tenure in Rajasthan has been under 14 months — frequent political transfers disrupt continuity. The Supreme Court's Prakash Singh judgment mandated minimum tenures for police but no such protection exists for Collectors.
Collector-SP coordination: Dual-control of district (civilian Collector + police SP) creates coordination gaps during crises — a structural challenge in Indian administration.
Digitisation transition: While APNA KHATA (digital land records) and e-Dharti have modernised revenue administration, the transition challenges — internet connectivity in remote Rajasthan, digital literacy among Patwaris — require active Collector management.