Who Is a District Collector?

A District Collector (also called Deputy Commissioner in some states) is the senior-most administrative officer of a district in India an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer recruited through the UPSC Civil Services Examination.

Functions:

• Revenue Administration: Land records, land acquisition, revenue collection
• Law and Order: Works with police; can invoke CrPC powers
• Disaster Management: Coordinates relief during floods, droughts, earthquakes
• Election Management: Acts as Returning Officer for Parliamentary/Assembly elections
• Development Programs: Oversees central and state government schemes

The office was first established by Warren Hastings in Bengal in 1772 under British rule.