In this guide
Every RAS aspirant hopes to sit in one of the offices described in this post — perhaps as a Sub-Divisional Officer handling revenue cases in a desert town, or as a Deputy Superintendent of Police supervising police stations in a district. Understanding how Rajasthan is governed — from Raj Bhavan in Jaipur to the patwari in a village — is therefore both an exam topic and preparation for the job itself.
The constitutional frame
Rajasthan, like every state, is governed under Part VI of the Constitution. It has a Governor, a Chief Minister with a Council of Ministers, a unicameral legislature of 200 members, and a High Court at Jodhpur with a bench at Jaipur.
The executive
The Governor is the constitutional head of the state, appointed by the President. The Governor summons and prorogues the Vidhan Sabha, gives assent to bills (or reserves them for the President), promulgates ordinances under Article 213, appoints the Chief Minister, and serves as Chancellor of state universities. In the Scheduled Areas of southern Rajasthan, the Governor has special responsibilities under the Fifth Schedule. After the office of Rajpramukh was abolished in 1956, Gurumukh Nihal Singh became Rajasthan's first Governor.
The Chief Minister and Council of Ministers hold real executive power and are collectively responsible to the Vidhan Sabha. Under the 91st Amendment (2003), the Council cannot exceed 15% of the Assembly's strength — for Rajasthan's 200-member house, a maximum of 30 ministers including the Chief Minister.
The Advocate General (Article 165) is the state's chief legal officer.
The Secretariat
Policy is made in the Secretariat in Jaipur.
| Level | Who | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Chief Secretary | Senior-most IAS officer | Head of the civil service; secretary to the Cabinet; coordinates departments |
| Additional Chief Secretaries / Principal Secretaries / Secretaries | IAS officers | Administrative heads of departments |
| Heads of Department / Directorates | Directors, Commissioners | Implement policy in the field |
The distinction between the Secretariat (policy) and the Directorates (execution) is a standard exam point.
Field administration
| Unit | Head | Main functions |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Divisional Commissioner | Supervises and coordinates districts; revenue appeals |
| District | District Collector and District Magistrate | Revenue, law and order (with the SP), elections, disaster management, development coordination |
| Sub-division | Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) / SDM | Revenue administration and courts; magisterial duties |
| Tehsil | Tehsildar (with Naib Tehsildar) | Land records, mutation, certificates, relief |
| Development block | Block Development Officer (BDO) | Rural development schemes; works with the Panchayat Samiti |
| Village | Patwari (revenue) and Gram Vikas Adhikari (development) | Land records (jamabandi, girdawari); village-level scheme implementation |
In the district, the Superintendent of Police heads the police, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Zila Parishad coordinates rural development.
The changing map: divisions and districts
Rajasthan's administrative map has changed significantly in recent years:
| Year | Change |
|---|---|
| Until 2023 | 33 districts and 7 divisions |
| 2023 | 17 new districts (19 in the official announcement, which counted the reconstituted Jaipur and Jodhpur districts) and 3 new divisions created (a total of 50 districts and 10 divisions) |
| 28 December 2024 | The state cabinet decided not to retain 9 of the new districts and all 3 new divisions |
| Now | 41 districts and 7 divisions |
The seven divisions are Jaipur, Jodhpur, Ajmer, Udaipur, Kota, Bikaner and Bharatpur.
The judiciary
The Rajasthan High Court sits at Jodhpur, with a bench at Jaipur. Below it are district and sessions courts, civil courts and specialised courts. See our post on the High Court.
Key constitutional and statutory bodies
| Body | Basis |
|---|---|
| Rajasthan Public Service Commission (Ajmer) | Article 315 |
| State Election Commission | Article 243K — panchayat and municipal elections |
| State Finance Commission | Article 243I |
| Lokayukta | Rajasthan Lokayukta and Up-Lokayuktas Act, 1973 |
| State Human Rights Commission, State Information Commission, State Commission for Women | Central and state laws |
| Rajasthan Staff Selection Board | Recruitment for subordinate posts |
Training
Civil servants are trained at the Harish Chandra Mathur Rajasthan State Institute of Public Administration (HCM RIPA), Jaipur.
A Mains framework: challenges of governing Rajasthan
- Distance and sparse population — service delivery across vast desert districts.
- Water and drought — recurring crisis management.
- Capacity — vacancies at the patwari, teacher and health-worker level.
- Coordination — many departments, overlapping schemes.
- Reforms — e-governance (Jan Aadhaar, e-Mitra, Rajasthan Sampark), smaller administrative units, capacity building.
Practice
Prelims-style:
- What is the maximum size of Rajasthan's Council of Ministers?
- How many districts and divisions does Rajasthan have after December 2024?
- Who was Rajasthan's first Governor?
- Where is the Rajasthan High Court located?
- Under which Act was Rajasthan's Lokayukta created?
Mains-style (50 words): What are the functions of a District Collector in Rajasthan?
Mains-style (100 words): Discuss the arguments for and against creating smaller districts in Rajasthan.
A note on dates and numbers. Exam patterns, vacancies and schedules change from year to year. Always confirm the current details in the latest notification on the Rajasthan Public Service Commission website .
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