Deputy commissioner

Role of Deputy Commissioner with special reference to Rural Development

1. Role of Deputy Commissioner with S pecial Reference to RD Submitted by: Megha Bhardwaj

2. District Administration India is divided into 29 states and 7 UT’s. District is the most important u nit of administration in India. It is the level where the common people come into direct contact with the government. It is through the District Administration that the policies & programmes for economic development & social change in rural areas to be implemented.

3. Structure of District A dministration Deputy Commissioner Additional DC Additional District Magistrate SDM Tehsildar (Urban) Assistant Commissioner Tehsildar (Rural) Deputy Director cum PO DRDA District Revenue Officer

4. Deputy commissioner Deputy commissioner is the executive of the district with numerous responsibilities in the sphere of civil administration, development, panchayats , local bodies etc. A D istrict C ollector , often abbreviated to C ollector , is an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer in charge of revenue collection and administration of a district in India. District collectors are senior most executive magistrate in the district, the post is also referred to as the D istrict M agistrate and as the office-bearer works under the supervision of a divisional commissioner, the post is also D eputy C ommissioner . Collector is the chair person of 55 committees. There are around 250 govt. schemes under DC.

5. Functions of DC Ensure implementation of govt. p rogrammes and policies & coordinating development works in the district. Coordinate the developmental, cultural, social, health & medical, promotion of tourism & other activities of various departments in the district. He is the Chairman of District Red Cross Society & District Child Welfare Society . He conducts and ensures the inspection of offices of block development officers. He is appellate authority under the Right To Information Act for DC office, DRCS, gram panchayat etc.

6. Duties of DC Duties as a Collector Land assessment. Collection of land revenue. Collection of income tax dues, excise duties, irrigation dues etc. Distribution of agriculture loans. Disaster management during natural calamities such as floods, famines or epidemics. Crisis management during riots or external aggression Head of the district industries centre . Overall he is responsible for the local self government. The new role is one of co- ordinator & facilitator of providing leadership.

7. District collector’s functions relating to panchayati raj Centrally sponsored rural development programmes such as the Integrated Rural Development Programme, Drought Prone Areas Programme, Desert Development Programme, Development of women and Children in Rural Areas etc., meant for the amelioration of the weaker sections of the society, are being implemented by the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) established in each district , under the Chairmanship of the concerned Collector . The Collector, with the assistance of the district level staff, is responsible for the implementation of the 20-point programme and the revenue campaigns launched by the Government for the speedy settlement of land and revenue disputes.

8. Duties as a District D evelopment Officer The DC is the presiding officer of the development committee of his district and carries on all development work of the district. All the Block D evelopmental Officers (BDO) work under his control. The governmental or political heads, formulates the 5 year plans, 20 years plan, community projects and he is responsible for the implementation of plans, projects etc. He acts as a development officer of his district and draws the development plan of district with the help of other development officers.

9. Duties as District M agistrate He hears and decides the number of criminal cases and supervises the work of all other magistrates under him. The district magistrate is responsible for the maintenance of law and order and the Superintendent of Police (SP) directly assists him for that purpose. The district magistrate also supervises the activities of foreigners of his district and can recommend the extension of their visas. During the election times, he is responsible for conducting the elections and he extends all helps to the election officers. Conducts and gets conducted the inspection of police stations/posts.

10. Duties as a District O fficers He is the principal agency of state govt. in the district & looks after the general interest of government. He is responsible for the proper implementation of all the govt. rules, plans, regulation & orders. He acts as a link between the govt. and the people and tries to place govt. views before the public or the people. He trains the junior officers in the administrative work and procedures dealing with public. He has to watch over the various developmental agencies like: District Development C ouncil, the Taluka Boards, the Block D evelopment P rojects etc.

11. Duties as a Public R elations O fficer He maintains a close contact with the people & their representative & act as a buffer between citizen & administration protecting one against the possible harassment by another. It is his duty to maintain good, cordial, excellent relations with the public. It is his duty to create the feeling of public in favor of the govt. He undertakes regular tour in the district visiting even far-flung villages, meeting people and solving their difficulties or problems.

12. Posting of DC They are posted by the state government, from among the pool of I ndian administrative service (IAS) officers in the district. The members of the IAS are either directly recruited by Union Public Service Commission or promoted from provincial Civil Service (PCS). The direct recruits are posted as collectors after 5 to 6 years of service, whereas the promoted members from state civil generally occupy this post after promotion to IAS, which generally happens after 2 decades of service.

13. Administrative Reform C ommission “Reform” means to make something better. Reform is needed in “public administration” because of its growing complexities & continuous growth. ARC is the committee appointed by the GOI for giving recommendation for reviewing the public administration system of India. Major initial reforms were: Parliamentary form of government. Establishment of All India Services, Central services & state services. Decentralization reform where constitutional status was conferred upon local self-govt. in rural and urban areas.

14. Functional Areas of DC under ARC Rural Development Revenue Administration Human Resource Development Economic Development Executive Magistracy & Maintenance of law and order Licensing and Regulatory authority Disaster management Election Food & Civil Supply Local self Govt. Preparation of development plans

15. Administrative Profile of Shimla District Sub-Divisions Tehsils Sub-Tehsils Shimla (urban) Shimla (Urban) Chetta ( Kupvi ) Shimla (Rural) Shimla (Rural) Nankhari Theog Sunni Tikkar Rampur Theog Junga Chaupal Kotlhai Nerwa Rohru Rampur Dodra-Kawar Kumarsain Choupal Rohru Dodra-Kawar Chirgaon Jubbal Source: Deputy Commissioner Office Shimla

16. Evolution of the Office of District C ollector in S himla District As per the Imperial Gazetteer of 1887, the first foreigner sent to impose rule over all classes of the hill population was one Captain Charles Pratt Kennedy who in 1822 was appointed Superintendent of the Shimla Hill State. Edward was the first deputy commissioner of S himla. By a proclamation of 7th April 1848, Edward abolished the institution of Commission agent . After Edward, Lord William Hay became the Deputy Commissioner of the region. In 1902, the Deputy Commissioner of Shimla became the ex-officio President of the Municipal Committee .

17. Hierarchical Chart of District Administration Deputy commissioner District Sub-Divisional officer A group of Tehsils Tehsildar Tehsil Naib-Tehsildar Part of Tehsil Qanungo A group of Patwaris Patwaris Group of Villages Source: Deputy C ommissioner Office Shimla

18. District M agistrate have Powers under following Acts Criminal Procedure Code, 1973. Licensing Authority under Indian Arms Act. Motor Vehicle Act. Defense of India Act, 1971(power under Rules 7, 8, 9,14,17,19, 32, 41, 50, 62, 63 65, 66, 69, 70, 71, 74,125,154,160 and 168). H.P . Bricks Control Act, 1970. Licensing Authority under H.P. Cinematograph Rules. Punjab Police Rules (Applicable to H.P.).

19. District Collector Have Power under following Acts H.P. Land Revenue Act, 1953. H.P . Land Revenue Act, 1953. H.P . Public Premises and Land (Eviction of Rent Recovery) Act, 1971. Punjab Restitution of Mortgage (Applicable to H.P.) Act. Land Acquisition Act, 1894. H.P . Agricultural Credit Operation and Miscellaneous Provisions (Bank) Act of 1972 and Rules, 1975. Commissioner under Workman’s Compensation Act. H.P . Roadside Control Act H.P . Co-op. land Development Act, 1974. I ndian Stamp Act. Land Records Manual and Land Administration Manual. H.P . Holdings (Consolidated and Prevention of fragmentation) Act, 1971. H.P . Registration of Money Lenders Act, 1976. Land Improvement Act, 1883.

20. Deputy Commissioner have Powers under following Acts/Programmes Marriage officer under Special Marriage Act, 1954. H.P. Municipal Act, 1968 and Rules/ Municipal Account Code. H.P . Agricultural Procedure Market Rules, 1971. Chairman , Market Committee. Chairman , Governing Body of DRDA. H.P . Panchayati Raj Act, 1968. Member, District 20 Point Programme Implementation Committee. Co-Vice Chairman of District Planning and Development Committee. Member , District Grievances and Food and Supplies advisory Committee. Chairman , District National Integration Committee. Chairman , District Preventive Measures and Fire Risk Committee. Chairman , District Transportation Committee for Apple and Potatoes. Chairman , District Land Development Committee.

21. Present DC’s of D ifferent States of H.P. District Deputy Commissioner Mandi Shri . R. M.  Thakur Shimla Shri . Amit kashyap Kangra Shri . Sandeep Kumar Solan Shri . Hans Raj Kinnaur Shri . Gopal Chand Sirmaur Shri . Lalit Jain Hamirpur Shri . Rakesh Kumar Prajapat Chamba Shri . Harikesh Meena Bilaspur Shri . Vivek Bhatia Lahaul-spiti Shri . Ashwani Kumar Chaudhary

22. CONCLUSION DC enjoys immense power to do justice to the poor and needy, ensure an environment of peace and order to provide opportunity to public for social and economic development, help create-necessary infrastructure and promote all-round growth in the district. This is a very honorable position in the development, which requires strong sense of commitment accountability , ethical and moral standards, honesty and integrity , hard-work and fair judgment.