Revenue System & Tehsildar
Revenue & Panchayati Raj · राजस्व व्यवस्था और तहसीलदार
📋Quick Overview
The revenue administration system in India handles land records, land revenue collection, and issuance of certificates (caste, domicile, income). Historically, land revenue was the chief source of state income. The administration is hierarchical from the Governor/President at the top through the Board of Revenue down to the Patwari/Lekhpal at the village level. The District Magistrate (DM/Collector) is the key district-level revenue officer. Tehsildar manages the Tehsil (sub-district), while Patwari/Lekhpal is the ground-level revenue official.
Lekhpal (UP) = Patwari (most other states). This village-level revenue official is the most important point of contact for farmers for land records, crop surveys (Girdawari), mutations, and government certificates.
📖Revenue Hierarchy (UP Model)
| Officer | Level | Key Functions |
|---|---|---|
| Board of Revenue | State | Highest revenue court; hears final revenue appeals; supervises revenue administration |
| Divisional Commissioner | Division | Supervises districts; hears appeals from DM orders; district fund control |
| District Magistrate (DM/Collector) | District | Overall district administration, law & order, revenue collection, disaster management, election officer |
| Additional DM | District | Assists DM; in-charge of specific departments (finance, revenue, law) |
| Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) | Sub-division (group of tehsils) | Approves mutations; heads sub-division; hears revenue appeals from Tehsildar |
| Tehsildar | Tehsil (sub-district) | Land revenue collection, mutations, certificates (caste/domicile/income), supervises Lekhpals |
| Naib Tehsildar | Tehsil | Assists Tehsildar; minor revenue matters, certificates, routine work |
| Kanungo / Revenue Inspector | Circle (10-20 villages) | Supervises 10-20 Lekhpals/Patwaris; checks land records, arbitrates local disputes |
| Lekhpal / Patwari | Village (1-5 villages) | Maintains Khasra/Khatauni/Shajra; Girdawari; initiates mutations; issues certificates |
📝Key Functions and Revenue Documents
- •Tehsildar certificates: Caste certificate, Income certificate, Domicile certificate, Agricultural certificate — all issued at Tehsil level
- •Land revenue: Fixed by state government; collected annually; based on area and type of land (irrigated/unirrigated)
- •Tehsil: Basic unit of revenue administration; each district has multiple tehsils
- •Collector/DM: The word 'Collector' comes from the role of land revenue collection assigned under British rule by Lord Cornwallis (1793)
- •Village Administrative Officer (VAO): Tamil Nadu equivalent of Patwari; responsible for land records and revenue collection in Tamil Nadu
- •Revenue Inspector (RI): Karnataka; Gram Sevak: Some states — different states use different names for revenue officials