Aspirant Academy

Public Administration

Sub-Divisional and Tehsil Administration

District Administration: Collector, Law & Order, Revenue, Development Administration

Paper III · Unit 2 Section 8 of 13 0 PYQs 27 min
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Sub-Divisional and Tehsil Administration

7.1 Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) / SDM

Each district is divided into 2–5 Sub-Divisions, headed by a Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) or Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) — typically an IAS (probationer) or senior RAS officer.

SDM's functions:

  • Revenue functions: Hears first appeals against Tehsildar's orders on mutation, land records
  • Magisterial functions: Acts as the DM in the sub-division for law and order; can issue Section 163 BNSS orders
  • Land acquisition: Handles land acquisition proceedings in the sub-division
  • Vigilance: Monitors implementation of development schemes
  • District-level representation: Acts for the Collector when the DM is unavailable

7.2 Tehsildar and Naib-Tehsildar

The Tehsildar (RAS officer, gazetted) is the principal revenue officer at the Tehsil level:

Revenue duties:

  • Collection of land revenue and other government dues
  • Maintenance of land records (supervises Patwaris)
  • Processing mutation applications
  • Conducting revenue surveys and updating records
  • Issuing Jamabandi (Record of Rights — every 5 years)

Magisterial duties:

  • Acts as Executive Magistrate — can impose Section 163 BNSS orders, grant bail in petty cases, record dying declarations
  • Conducts inquest in case of unnatural deaths in rural areas

Development duties:

  • Coordinates MGNREGS works in the tehsil area
  • Issues caste, income, domicile certificates
  • Supervises Gram Sevaks in rural development