The 2nd ARC Report on State and District Administration offers strategic insights and recommendations to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of governance at the state and district levels in India.
THE ROLE OF DISTRICT COLLECTOR
- In the past, the District Collector served as the primary governmental authority at the district level in most states. This position encompassed a wide range of responsibilities, including the delivery of essential services, land revenue administration, implementation of rural development programs, disaster management, law and order maintenance, and the collection of excise and transport revenue. Virtually all local-level instruments of the State Government operated in conjunction with the Collector’s office, either formally or informally. Over time, various structural arrangements were established, with the Collector overseeing the activities of line departments or directly managing specific services.
- Traditionally, the Collector played a crucial role in determining how, where, and in what quantity State Government services were delivered. However, in recent years, there has been a trend towards vertical hierarchy within departments up to the State level. Additionally, the gradual empowerment of local governments is reshaping the District Collector’s role in local development matters.
COLLECTOR’S RESPONSIBILITIES
Currently, the Collector’s portfolio typically includes the following functions and activities, with variations possible across different states:
- Revenue Administration: The Collector manages all matters related to land reforms and revenue administration, including the custody of government lands. Assistance in these tasks is provided by an Additional Collector/Joint Collector. Moreover, the Collector serves as the officer in charge of the district under the State Excise Act.
- Executive Magistracy and Maintenance of Law and Order: Functioning as the Magistrate of the District, the Collector exercises powers and functions under various provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code (Cr. PC.). Additionally, the Collector oversees Law and Order and internal security in the district, with the authority to issue custody/detention warrants under special anti-crime/security enactments like the National Security Act (NSA).
- Police Matters: The Collector retains importance in police matters, as exemplified by the Bihar Police Act 2007, where the Collector serves as the Chairman of the District Accountability Authority, responsible for monitoring various aspects of law enforcement.
- Departmental Inquiries and Misconduct Complaints: Addressing concerns related to departmental inquiries and complaints of misconduct against junior policemen is a key responsibility
- Licensing and Regulatory Authority: Functioning as the licensing and regulatory authority, the Collector holds this role under special laws like the Arms and Cinematography Acts within the district.
- Disaster Management: The Relief/Disaster Management branch of the Collector’s office directly manages functions related to disaster management.
- Elections: Serving as the District Election Officer, the Collector oversees elections for Parliament, State Legislature, and Local Bodies.
- Food and Civil Supplies: In many States, the Collector plays a direct role in the Food and Civil Supplies Department at the district level. Responsibilities include overseeing the Public Distribution System and enforcing provisions of the Essential Commodities Act.
- Welfare: The Collector plays a critical role in executing welfare programs, including those for disability and old age pension, either through direct superintendence or oversight.
- Census: As the principal Census Officer, the Collector oversees census-related activities.
- Coordination: One of the Collector’s vital roles is coordinating activities among various agencies and departments at the district level.
- Economic Development (Agriculture, Irrigation, Industry, etc.): While many functions in these sectors have shifted to PRIs and local bodies, the Collector still plays a role in programs related to agriculture, animal husbandry, veterinary, sericulture, handlooms, textiles, irrigation, and industries.
- Human Resource Development: Although primary education responsibilities have shifted to PRIs, the District Collector/Deputy Commissioner remains Chairman/Co-Chairman in some district-level committees.
- Rural Development: While major rural development activities are transferred to PRIs/ULBs, the Collector may still be the nodal authority for specific programs, such as the District Programme Coordinator under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.
- Local-Self Government (PRIs/ULBs): The District Collector/Deputy Commissioner’s role concerning local self-governing institutions varies across states, often involving powers of suspension, resolution, supersession, etc.
- Preparation of Development Plan: Although planning functions are assigned to DPC/MPC under Articles-243-ZD and 243-ZE, the Collector coordinates with departments/agencies executing various works.
- Information Technology: The Collector exercises superintendence over the District NIC Centre, managing information technology matters.
- Chairman of Committees: The Collector also serves as the Chairman of numerous committees at the district level, with additional important responsibilities.Organizations operating within the district, such as the Red Cross Society, a Degree College, or Sports Associations, may also be under the leadership of the Collector. Frequently, the Collector is appointed as the Chairman of a Committee tasked with overseeing a significant trust or endowment situated in the district.
ISSUES:
The extensive range of functions lacking well-defined roles leads to a lack of clarity and diffusion of the Collector’s responsibilities. Additionally, with the establishment of PRIs/ULBs as the third tier of government, there is no necessity to allocate any role/function to the Collector for activities transferred by the State Government to these bodies. Consequently, there is a perspective advocating the need to redefine the Collector’s roles and responsibilities in a clear manner. The proposed job profile should encompass:
- A well-defined set of exclusive activities, both statutory and non-statutory, as a representative of the State Government.
- General coordination with various departments/agencies of the State and Union Governments at the district level.
- During the interim period until local elected institutions evolve into District Government, serving as the Chief Executive Officer of the proposed District Council.
- Land and revenue administration, land acquisition, custodianship of government lands and properties, registration, and recovery of public demand.
- Executive magistracy, maintenance of law and order, internal security, prisons, and remand/juvenile homes.
- Licensing and regulatory functions related to various special laws concerning arms, explosives, cinemas, etc.
- Disaster management.
- Civil supplies, public distribution, and social welfare.
- Excise, transport, mining, labor laws, and elections.
- Legal affairs, census, protocol, and general administration.
- Treasury management/district accounts office-related work.
- Public Relations Department, NIC, and other miscellaneous functions assigned by the State Government, along with coordination with civil society.
- Coordination with line departments/other agencies of the State and Union Governments.
- During the interim period, acting as the Chief Officer of the proposed District Government until local institutions attain sufficient maturity.
- Utilizing technology to rectify outdated maps is imperative for achieving accurate depictions of land holdings and parcels. To complement this, an evaluation of the current land record updating mechanisms, which vary from state to state, is essential. This should be replaced with an enhanced and fortified system ensuring immediate reflection of all title transactions in land records. The system should adeptly detect title changes due to succession, will, partition, gift, survivorship, etc., and update records accordingly. Strengthening the dispute resolution mechanism for land titles is crucial to meet evolving demands.
- In urban areas, a similar exercise is necessary, especially where measurements, surveys, and title records are often lacking. Realignment of Deputy Commissioners/District Collectors’ functions is needed to focus on core responsibilities like land and revenue administration, law and order maintenance, disaster management, public distribution, civil supplies, excise, elections, transport, census, protocol, general administration, treasury management, and coordination with various agencies/departments.
- Strengthening compliance machinery at the district level to enforce RTI Act provisions and reduce delays and subjectivity requires the establishment of a dedicated RTI Cell in the Collector’s office. This cell’s functions should be regularly reviewed by the Collector.
- District Magistrates should ideally be posted early in their careers, with an IAS officer assigned to complex and problem-prone districts after completing 10-12 years of service. Effective coordination by the Collector in district-level activities and programs of other departments is crucial.
- Developing an e-district framework applicable to all districts will facilitate ICT initiatives. A comprehensive classification of rules, guidelines, and procedures is necessary for efficient service delivery and understanding among officers and the public. Delegating adequate powers and responsibilities is essential to avoid unnecessary file movements and delays.
- Introducing an IT-based mechanism for feedback and grievance redressal, ensuring timely and transparent resolution of public grievances, is vital. Establishing accountability through systematic monitoring is crucial for every function.
- A reliable central district database should be developed, facilitating data collection at the grassroots level through local revenue administration machinery. The database must encompass block and circle-wise information on population, PHCs, and other relevant data.
- Information such as PDS outlets, police stations, implemented schemes, sanctioned funds, and scheme beneficiaries is crucial for effective governance. To enhance information sharing and streamline service delivery, it is essential for all branches within the District Collector’s office, including district and sub-district offices, to collaborate.
ISSUES RELATED TO LOCAL GOVERNANCE:
- The role of the District Collector/DM requires a reassessment in the context of the District Council and the District Government. Over the years, two contrasting views have emerged on this matter. Advocates for local government empowerment contend that the District Collector’s role becomes redundant in a democratic setting with empowered local governments, suggesting its elimination. On the other hand, pragmatists argue that the Collector’s institution has been a stabilizing force for centuries and has maintained order in a diverse and tumultuous society, advocating its retention in its current form. They propose that the District Council eventually appoint its Chief Officer. As an interim solution, leveraging the institutional strength of the Collector to empower local governments is seen as practical.
- The Commission suggests a balanced approach, asserting that the District Government should be empowered while making the most of the institutional strength of the District Collector. The Commission proposes that these objectives can be achieved by appointing the District Collector as the Chief Officer of the District Council. In this scenario, the Collector cum Chief Officer would have a dual responsibility, being accountable to the elected District Government for all local matters and to the State Government for regulatory matters not delegated to the District Government.
Practice Questions
- “At present, the portfolio of the Collector’s office generally includes multiple functions and activities.” Discuss.
- “There is a need to redefine the role and responsibilities of the Collector in a clear manner.” Discuss
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