Rural Administration

Introduction

In terms of resolving disputes, the urban sector is better and more sophisticated than the smallest unit of the Indian democratic system, the village or rural region. India's rural population is massive, almost 65% of the total Indian population resides in rural areas, that's almost 90 crores of the total population. The population living in rural areas has unique sets of problems and disputes that need to be taken care of. The country's legal system has always recognized the importance of rural administration since independence. As a result, India has a robust rural government administration system, which is the subject of this tutorial.

Meaning of Rural

The term "rural" refers to an undeveloped or underdeveloped area. It refers to tiny communities that are located outside of a city, commercial, or industrial sector, and villages with natural vegetation. The major sources of revenue for the rural areas are animal husbandry and agriculture. Small-scale industries like the cotton industry bring in extra money. According to India's planning commission, a town with a population of fewer than 15000 people is deemed rural

Administration in Rural Areas

In Indian villages, there is a unique kind of local government called Panchayat Raj. Even these authorities, however, require assistance in carrying out their policies. The government officers arrive at this point for the administration. Each of these areas has a district collector, police officers, Tahsildars, and Patwaris. All of them are integral parts of the state's overall rural administration effort, and each one complements the others

Many parts of rural administration include - building public infrastructures such as roads, drainage, check dams, and drinking water facilities. Implementing welfare initiatives, such as MNREGA. Conflict resolution, land records maintenance, land revenue collection, etc.

Role of police in India's Rural Administration

In villages, we may envision people fighting over land or animals. What is the duty administration in such cases? In the cases of disputes, the police must guarantee that the law is followed. It must also keep the region peaceful and serene. A single police station is generally responsible for a number of communities. The SHO, who is in charge of the police station, keeps track of complaints or FIRs (First Information Report)

However, the police system is generally corrupt, and landlords with money influence the police. Apart from police misconduct or a refusal to register complaints due to laziness or unbelief, sometimes even the victim is too scared to go to the police station as his life and job both are at risk

Patwari

What if Ramu and Shamu are two farmers who have plots adjacent to one other and have no idea where the line between them is? They go to the village Patwari for clarity. A Patwari is in charge of keeping land records. In different languages, the Patwari is referred to by numerous names

Lekhpal, Kanungo, Karamchari, and other similar names are examples. A Patwari is allocated to a group of villages and is responsible for the region's records. They must also be able to measure farms and agricultural fields, manage land income collection, and provide information on the crops cultivated in these areas

Talukdars and Tehsildars

Officials such as Tehsildars and Talukdars keep a watch on the Patwari since they hold a position of authority that might be misused

• Each Patwari is allotted a set of villages in the rural sector, which are divided into tehsils, which are district subdivisions

• There are also taluks, which are divisions based on population size

• The Talukdar is in charge of a taluk, whereas the Tehsildar is in charge of a tehsil. They supervise the many Patwaris assigned to each tehsil/taluk. They're in charge of making sure that revenue and land records are up to date. They make certain that the farmer has proof of payment, and that students have caste certificates and other paperwork. In their offices, they also hear land disputes

District Collector

An Indian Civil Service official known as a district magistrate is often referred as a district collector (IAS). They are the district's top officials above the Tehsildar or Talukdar., overseeing the whole district. They are executive magistrates who are also in charge of revenue collection and district administration in India. They monitor and control all of the villages under their jurisdiction. They are in charge of maintaining law and order throughout the district

Hindu Succession Amendment Act (2005)

Only men come to mind when people think about landowners. Women are classified as field workers, not landowners. Until recently, Hindu women in several areas were denied a stake in their family's agricultural land and this inequality faced by women was a major challenge to the rural administration in India. The father's money and possessions were distributed evenly among his sons after his death.

The Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005 (39 of 2005) updated the Hindu Succession Act, 1956 to remove gender-based clauses.

Daughters, like sons, become the legal heirs in their own right at birth, according to the amendment. On the father's property, the daughter has the same rights as the son. This change also repeals Section 23 of the Hindu Succession Act, which formerly prohibited a female heir from asking for the partition of a dwelling house that was wholly occupied by a joint family unless the male heirs consented to share their portions

Section 24 of the Act was repealed, which prohibited a widow from receiving her husband's property if she remarried. This Act resulted in a state-wide amendment that affects all state governments

Conclusion

In this tutorial you have gained a basic understanding of administration in the country's rural regions. We studied the Administration of the rural part of the country in this tutorial. We went over the entire rural administration introduction, learning about rural regions, administration, and its operations

FAQs

Q1. What are Patwari's other names?

Ans: Different states have different names for the Patwari

Some of these names are as follows

• Lekhpal

• Kanungo

• Karamchari

• Village Officer

Q2. What are the various duties of Tehsildars?

Ans: Tehsildars have a variety of responsibilities, including monitoring the Patwari's work and ensuring that the records are preserved in good order. Ensuring the collection of land income, ensuring that farmers may acquire a copy of their records quickly, and issuing caste certificates to students are few of the other important works of a tehsildar.

Q3. When was the Hindu Succession Act amended?

Ans: Hindu Succession Act was amended in the year 2005.

Q4. Mention the articles that the Hindu Succession Amendment Act repealed.

Ans: Sections 23 and 24 were repealed and eliminated, which limited the rights of women and widowss