District Administration Class 6 Civics Notes Maharashtra State Board
Do such questions occur to you, too? The Zilla Parishad is a part of the rural local government system i.e. the Panchayati Raj system. But in Maharashtra, the administration of the district is shared by both the Zilla Parishad and the District Collector. The Union Government and State Government both participate in this administration.
The District Collector:
The District Collector is the head of the district administration. He is appointed by the State Government. He has to perform many functions from collecting agricultural tax to maintaining law and order in the district. We can see what these functions are from the chart given below.
| District Collector | |||
| Agriculture | Law and Order | Election Officer | Disaster Management |
| To collect agricultural tax. | Establish peace in the district. | To ensure smooth conduct of elections. | To make quick decisions during times of disaster and prevent or minimize the damage. |
| To implement laws relating to agriculture. | To maintain social harmony. | To make necessary decisions related to the electoral process. | To give orders to the disaster management units/cells. |
| To provide relief in case of drought and scarcity of fodder. | To restrict unlawful assembly, impose a curfew if required. | To update the voters’ lists. | To rehabilitate/those affected by a disaster. |
Why is it Important to maintain Social Harmony?
The differences of opinion, disputes, and conflicts in society must be resolved by peaceful means. However, when this does not happen it gives rise to tensions. If this leads to violent incidents, it disturbs social harmony. It acts as an obstacle to our progress. Public property is damaged. The District Collector makes efforts to prevent such occurrences but it is the duty of the citizens also to help maintain social harmony.
Tahsildar:
There is a Tahsildar for every taluka or tehsil. As a Judicial Officer, he gives judgments to resolve conflicts at the local level. The Tahsildar has the responsibility of maintaining peace and order in the taluka.
The Chief of the District Police
In Maharashtra, there is a Superintendent of Police at every district headquarters. He is the chief Police Officer of the district. He helps the District Collector to maintain peace and order in the district. In the city, the Police Commissioner has the responsibility of maintaining law and order.
District Courts
The Courts at the district level have to perform the function of resolving disputes, delivering judgments, and ensuring that conflicts are resolved at the earliest. The Constitution of India has established an independent judiciary. At the apex of that system is the Supreme Court of India. Below this are the High Courts, and below them, the lower courts. These include District Courts, Taluka Courts, and Revenue Courts.
The Court at the district level is known as the District Court. The district court has a chief District Judge and some other Judges. Their main function is to hear the various cases in the district and deliver the final judgment. One can appeal against the judgment of the taluka court in the District Court.
Disaster Management
Sometimes, we may have to face a calamity. It could be a natural disaster like floods, fire, a cloudburst, cyclone, earthquake, or landslide or problems like riots, bomb blasts, breaking of a dam, epidemics, etc. These disasters lead to the loss of human lives and displacement of people besides tremendous financial loss. Therefore, the issues of rehabilitation become important. ‘Disaster Management’ is a process that enables one to face a disaster in a scientific and organized manner. The entire machinery of a district is involved in this process. Advances in technology make it possible for us to get prior information about several kinds of disasters. For example, a system that can predict and warn us of floods or storms has been developed. These help us to be better prepared to face the disaster.
It is important to remain alert during a time of crisis. To face a disaster one needs the help of people as well as different systems and organizations. In order to be able to contact them urgently, one should display the contact numbers of the police, fire brigade, hospitals, and blood banks at a prominent place in the house. Tell your friends also to do the same.
In Maharashtra, many officers have made serious attempts to bring about reforms in the administration. Their experiments have helped to improve the services provided to the citizens. This has helped the citizens to form a favorable opinion about the administration. As a result, their support of the administration and their participation in it has improved.
(a) Lakhina Pattern:
In order to make the administration efficient and to increase the quality of public services available to the citizens, Shri Anilkumar Lakhina brought about many reforms when he was District Collector of Ahmadnagar District. These are known as the ‘Lakhina Pattern’. Standardization of work procedures, stating rules in simple language that could be understood by the people, etc. were the administrative changes he introduced. He also started the ‘Single Window’ system, so that jobs that people came to do could be completed under one roof.
(b) Dalvi Pattern:
The administrative reforms implemented by Shri Chandrakant Dalvi when he was District Collector of Pune District, are known as the ‘Dalvi Pattern’. The objective of the reform was to speed up the decision-making by ensuring that files were not allowed to stack up and that they were dealt with on the same day that they were received. This pattern is also known as the ‘Zero Pendancy Pattern’. It helped in bringing efficiency and speed into administrative work.
(c) Chahande Pattern:
When Dr Sanjay Chahande was the Divisional Commissioner of Nashik he implemented certain reforms which are now known as the ‘Chahande Pattern’. In order to reduce the gap between the people and the administration, to increase the accountability of the administration towards the people, and to prioritize the development work through people’s participation, he implemented the ‘Gramastha Din’ (Villagers’ Day) scheme. This is the appointed day when the administrative officials and staff visit a village and establish a dialogue with the people to understand their problems and help to solve them.
Well-maintained Maharashtra State Board Class 6 Civics Notes District Administration can serve as a reference for lifelong learning.