Administrative Divisions of Kerala

For the convenience of administration in Kerala, the state is divided into districts, revenue divisions, taluks and villages. There are 14 districts in Kerala. The district is supervised by the District Collector. The officer in charge of the revenue divisions in the districts is the Sub-Collector/RDO. As part of decentralization, the districts are divided into taluks and taluks into villages. These function under the Revenue Department. The Tahsildar is the head of the taluk. The Village Officer is the highest authority of the village.

Kerala Administrative Offices

■ District Collectorates (14)

There are 14 districts in Kerala. Each district is headed by a District Collector of the IAS cadre. The Collectorate plays a crucial role in the district administration. The District Collector also acts as the District Magistrate for maintaining law and order in the district. Apart from various revenue matters, the Collector also handles planning, development, project implementation, law and order, public transport, public health, disaster management, elections and census. The District Collector is assisted in the discharge of his duties by Deputy Collectors and District Heads of various departments.

■ Revenue Divisional Office, RDO (27)

For the convenience of administration in Kerala, the state is divided into districts, revenue divisions, taluks and villages. A revenue division operates below the district and includes several taluks under its administrative jurisdiction. The officer in charge of the revenue divisions in the districts is the Sub-Collector/Revenue Divisional Officer. As part of decentralization, districts have been divided into taluks and taluks into villages. These operate under the Revenue Department.

■ Taluk Offices (78)

As part of decentralization, districts have been divided into taluks and taluks into villages. There are 78 taluks in Kerala. These function under the Revenue Department. The Tahsildar is the head of the taluk. The Tahsildar also functions as the Executive Magistrate.

■ Village Offices (1,670)

There are 1670 villages in Kerala. They operate under the Revenue Department. The Village Officer is the highest authority of the village. The main responsibilities of the Village Officer are the protection of government land and resources, collection of land tax, and maintenance of land records.

PSC Questions

1. The officer responsible for maintaining justice, peace and stability in each district - District Collector

2. Competitive examination conducted by UPSC to select the Collector - Civil Services Examination

3. Basic qualification to apply for the Civil Services Examination - University degree

4. The officer who leads the administration of various districts - District Collector

5. The main officer who collects revenue from the government treasury for development activities - District Collector

6. The first Deputy Collector appointed in British India - Choorai Kanaran (1859) (in the South Malabar region of Kerala)

7. The officer who assists the District Collector in handling general matters such as land reforms, elections, revenue, recovery and land acquisition - Deputy Collector

8. The officer in charge of the Revenue Divisions of the district - Sub Collector/RDO

9. The full form of RDO is - Revenue Division Officer