Majority of Indians live in rural areas, but while adequate attention has been paid to the administration of urban

areas and the strength and weaknesses of the district administration, not enough analysis has been made of the requirements of a strong rural administration. The introduction of blocks and block development officers in the Fifties and Sixties was the first major modification in the post-British administration. Thereafter, another major change came through the 73rd and 74th amendments of the Constitution. But no thought has been given to strengthening of the administrative structure in rural areas and the need for trained personnel to man this structure.The administrative architecture set up by the British helped them get their revenues, including land revenue, to run the government. An all powerful district administration perpetuated their rule and they created the Indian Civil Service to man all the posts of district officers as well senior positions in the government to firmly strengthen their presence in India. The rural administration was largely left untouched except the occasional interventions by governor generals like the permanent settlements, etc, to ensure that the revenues did not stop flowing.After Independence, India has seen a sea change in the attitudes and policies of governments, with the mandate of improving conditions in rural areas. There has been massive flow of funds to rural areas and government policies have concentrated on eradication of rural poverty, strengthening rural infrastructure, generating rural employment and improving health, education and other services in rural areas. Rural development programmes are being financed by the central and state governments. In fact, no authority today, including the planning commission, has a complete inventory of funds flowing into rural areas.The district magistrate and collector is an overworked person. He is the coordinator of all rural development programmes but has very little time to monitor their progress. A study reveals that he spends less than 20 per cent of his time to look after the development work. In UP the solution that has been found is to create the post of chief development officer to coordinate all programmes of rural development. If from the IAS cadre, the officer spends less than a year on the job as he swiftly moves up the career ladder. So usually, the CDO is a provincial service officer or promoted from the BDO cadre. Under him work the district development officer and a project director with heads from various departments like agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, panchayat raj, etc. The CDO does not enjoy direct powers over these and it is a difficult job for him to control them. Then there are other departments like the PWD, irrigation, etc, over which the CDO has no control though they receive maximum funds for executing schemes like Pradhan Mantri Sadak Yojana. Similar is the position of the block development officer who has assistant development officers of various departments working under him, but they report to the line departments and the BDO has limited control over them. In short rural developmental administration is in shambles.In the revenue administration in rural areas the pivotal institution is the tehsil, which we have in each sub-division headed by a tehsildar, or in some places called mamlatadar. Under the tehsildar, there are naib-tehsildars, supervisor quanungos and lekhpals (who maintain land records of each village). Revenue and other taxes are collected by revenue collectors called amins in north India. Each sub-division is supervised by a sub-divisional officer drawn from the provincial civil service.This has been a very effective institution right from the British days. The tehsildars and the sub-divisional officers also enjoy magisterial powers and are entrusted with conducting elections. They also settle disputes relating to title possession and demarcation, etc of agricultural lands. They check fair price shops and take action against them, if required. If there are farmers agitations they are in the front line of the government to deal with them. The revenue administration is the real cutting edge of the government.To give better administration in rural areas, it is necessary to create a separate cadre of rural administrators who should be mandated only with the task of rural administration. They should be selected on the basis of an all India service examination, like the civil services. The allied rural services could be the rural agricultural service, the rural medical service, the rural revenue service, the rural finance and accounts service and so on. If the panchayat raj administration has to be strengthened in keeping with the spirit of the 73rd amendment then all these services will have to be created with the same salaries as other all India services and central services.

Those recruited for them should be told that they will have work in the rural areas only unlike the present IAS officers, who after working for four or five years in the districts and even less in rural areas, move out to work in the state government or the central government.From this rural administrative service we should select officers to man the posts of sub-divisional officers, the tehsildars, the block development officers and other generalist officers. The others should be specialised officers to work with panchayat raj institutions. These rural administration officers should man all the posts in rural areas and move out to work with the state government or the central government. Land records should also be maintained by the rural panchayats on the pattern of the municipal boards.With the strengthening of rural administration the necessity of the villagers running to the district administration will also end. The sooner we implement the concept of rural administrators and make these all India services responsible for implementation of rural development programmes, the better it will be for the majority of our people, who live in rural areas.

The Old Fort of Delhi, which is also known from the past as Purana Qila, is a large for that was built on the same spot where Indraprastha was located in. This fort was held by many rulers over time and features a large amount of spaces that were inspired by both Hindu and Afghan cultures. The Old Fort was built in the middle part of the sixteenth century by Sher Shah Suri. This was built after he had defeated Humayun and then conquered the city of Dinpanah. The fort was constructed with red sandstone and was made as a home for the ruler of the land to use. Humayun would eventually take over the fort after he recaptured this part of India a few years after the fort?s construction began. This is a key reason as to why the fort has a combination of both Afghan and Hindu influences in its design.Interestingly enough, the fort had been out of use for much of the time after Humayun's death. This is because Humayun slipped on a stairwell in the Old Fort in 1556 and later died from his injuries. This caused some to believe that the fort was cursed. They then left in favour of another fort.The fort features a large build that is more than two kilometers in length and has walls that are at least eighteen meters in height depending on where they are located.The influences around the Old Fort can be found in many forms. There are many square pillars around the fort. These are based on traditional Hindu designs. The Afghan accents in the fort include a series of domes and arches around many points of the fort.The three main gates around the Old Fort are very attractive. These gates feature three chhatris on their top spots. These spots are easily noticeable in that they are accents that take up around two stories each. The Forbidden Gate chhatri on the northern gate features a unique carving that features a series of lions in marble.A beautiful mosque is also located inside the fort. This is the Quila Kuhna Masjid mosque. It features a combination of white marble and sandstone.The Sher-Mandal is another great point in the fort. This octagon tower features a large plasterwork that was designed by Sher Shah Suri and was used by Humayan as his library. This is believed to be where the stairwell that Humayan fell down on is located.Some excavations have taken place around the Old Fort over the years. These excavations have found a variety of pottery and crafts from more than two thousand years in the past. These pieces include items from many prior periods in time and have since been brought out to the Old Fort to be placed on display to visitors.These pieces have helped to suggest the fort was placed on the site of Indraprasta. The artifacts that have been uncovered have helped to provide evidence that support this belief.There are some new attractions that can be enjoyed around the Old Fort. Visitors to the fort can experience a large light show in Old Fort of Delhi, held in the evenings. This showcases a look at the long history of Delhi. The fort can be easily found near the Zoological Park and Boat Club in Delhi.These features of the Old Fort make it one of the best places for people to visit in India. The Old Fort is a large fort that features many appealing Hindu and Afghan influences alongside a series of great spots with many great historical artifacts around its area.