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Govt. of Andhra Pradesh 

OVERVIEW OF 

“REVENUE DEPARTMENT”

HISTORY :- 

CHIEF COMMISSIONERATE / TELANGANA BOARD OF REVENUE / THE BOARD 

OF REVENUE IN ANDHRA PRADESH / COMMISSIONERS ACT 1977 / THE 

PRESENT SET UP 

HISTORY 

 The history of Land Administration dates back to the olden days of kings and 

Kingdoms. The Land Revenue was the major source of revenue for the kings. The 

present system of preparing and maintaining land records originated from the 

Moghul period and it reached its scientific form during the British rule. 

During the British times the Revenue Department was the pivot of Administration. 

The Board of Revenue that wielded extraordinary powers administered it. The 

Collector was the virtual monarch at the District. 

MADRAS BOARD OF REVENUE 

 In Andhra area the Board of Revenue was established in Madras State 

in1786 with the sanction of the Court of Directors of East India Company. The Board 

subject to the control of Governor had to superintend the whole administration, 

collect revenue and control subordinates. It marked the beginning of 

departmentalizing the functions of Government. 

The Revenue Regulation in 1803 de linked administration of Civil Justice from

Board. It gave statutory foundation to the Board and spelled out its main duties like 

Collection of Revenue, recommending sources for augmenting the income of the 

Government and punishing the subordinate. 

In 1849 decentralization was introduced. The Board of Revenue Act 1883 

dispensed with the Collective nature of the Board. Each member was assigned

some subjects and his orders were treated as those of the board. In 1894 the Board 

received operational freedom when the condition that all the orders given by Board 

need Government approval to be effective was dispensed. Senior members of ICS 

were selected as members. 

The Board seems to have received a setback from 1916 to 1926 when its 

jurisdiction shrank. Separate Departments were constituted and certain sources of 

Revenue were transferred to Center. However from 1937 it regained its importance. 

Further in the wake of Independence it was asked to coordinate Food Production, 

Community Development and National Extension Service. 

ANDHRA BOARD OF REVENUE 

 With the formation of separate Andhra State the Andhra Board of Revenue 

was formed in 1953. It was a replica of Madras board. But it has only 2 members 

where as Madras Board has 5 members drawn from ICS. It was the link between 

the Government and the Districts. The first member was senior even to the then 

Chief Secretary to Government. 2 

TELANGANA BOARD OF REVENUE 

 The Prime Minister of Hyderabad, Sir Salar Jung, constituted a board of 

revenue for the first time in 1864.In 1885 it was abolished and Inspector General at 

State Level was appointed. In 1893, the assistant Minister of revenue, Vkar-ul￾Umra, was appointed as the Prime Minister and to fill this gap a Revenue Board 

was created for the third time. It was abolished in 1901 and the post of Revenue 

Secretary was revived. He was also designated as Director General of Revenue in 

1928. Thus the Secretariat and executive functions were combined. This 

arrangement continued till 1945 when the Board of Revenue was created for the 

fourth time purely as an appellate body. Its life ended by 1949.Meanwhile 

Hyderabad merged with the Union of India. 

Then for the fifth time the board of Revenue in erstwhile State of Hyderabad was 

established under a Regulation issued in 1949. (Regulation LX of 1358 Fasli). The 

Hyderabad board as it existed in 1956 was by and large modeled on Madras

pattern. However it had four members who were Secretaries to Government 

whereas in Madras they were seniors to Secretaries though next to Chief Secretary. 

The Senior Member of the Telangana Board functioned also as the Development 

Commissioner and was designated as ex officio Secretary to Government. 

THE BOARD OF REVENUE IN ANDHRA PRADESH 

 The integrated Board of Andhra Pradesh, constituted on Madras pattern 

enjoyed some of the powers of Hyderabad Board also. It administered through the 

Board Standing Orders that form the basis of administration even till today. It 

consisted of five members. In 1957 National savings Scheme was put under its 

charge. It lost its control over minor irrigation in 1962 and Endowments in 1964.The 

Panchayat Raj was withdrawn in 1970. But Tribal Welfare and PWD were added 

under its control as a coordinating agency. 

Gradually the Board lost its position as the highest Revenue Court. In some matters 

Board Standing orders were altered by statutory amendments. Again Special 

Secretaries to Government were created in1961 and Board lost its distinction as the 

only administrative body with senior most officers though Chief Secretaries were 

drawn from the Board Members. 

In the Revenue Department, Commissioner of Revenue assisted the Board of 

Revenue in its functioning. Secretary, Board’s Land revenue and irrigation Branch, 

in turn assisted the Commissioner. At the District Level District Collectors, District 

Revenue Officers performed the revenue and administrative functions. Revenue 

Divisional Officers and Sub Collectors at the Sub-Divisional Level, Tahsildars and 

Deputy Tahsildars at the Tahsil Level, 3

exercised the powers of Members. 

THE PRESENT SET UP 

 In 1999 the posts of Commissioners, Survey Settlement & Land Records and 

Land reforms & Urban land Ceiling were abolished. The post of Commissioner of 

Land Revenue was re designated as Chief Commissioner of Land Administration. 

Commissioner Appeals in a Cadre post of I.A.S and Commissioner Legal affairs in 

the cadre of District and Sessions judge were also created to assist the Chief 

Commissioner of Land administration. 

ADMINISTRATIVE SETUP :- 

CHIEF COMMISSIONERATE / COLLECTORATES / SUB DIVISIONAL 

OFFICES / MANDAL REVENUE OFFICES / PANCHAYAT SECRETARIES 

ADMINISTRATIVE SETUP 

 In the organization of Revenue Department the apex body of 

administration is the head office of Chief Commissioner of Land 

Administration at State Level. But the core administration is carried out at 

Districts that have direct interface with public. For administrative convenience 

the District is divided into Sub Divisions, which are further divided into 

Mandals that have jurisdiction over a few villages. The present set up of 

revenue administration consists of the following hierarchy of Officials. 

 Chief Commissionerate at State Level 

 Collectorates at District Level.

 Divisional Officers at Revenue Divisional Level.

 Tahsildars at Mandal Level. 

 Village Revenue Officer at Village Level.

At the Mandal level the Mandal Development Officer (MDO) takes care of the 

development activities. 

CHIEF COMMISSIONERATE 

 Consequent on the abolition of the erstwhile Board of Revenue, the 

functional Commissioners of Survey, Settlement & Land Records and 

Commissioner of Land Reforms & Urban Land Ceiling were created. 

Subsequently they were replaced. In their place, the post of Chief 

Commissioner of Land Administration was created in GO MS No: 59 

Revenue (DA) Dated 21.01.1999. 

The Chief Commissioner of Land Administration (CCLA) is the chief 

controlling authority for the revenue administration consisting of Revenue, 

Survey, Settlement & Land Records and Urban Land Ceiling Departments. 

He exercises statutory functions and general superintendence over all his 

subordinates. In the case of Survey, Settlement & Land Records and Urban  Inspectors and Girdwars at the 

Firka/ Circle Level, and Village Officers and Village Servants at the Village Level 

assisted the Collector. 

COMMISSIONERS ACT 1977 

 The Board of Revenue was abolished by the A .P. Board of Revenue 

Replacement by Commissioners Act, 1977.As per this new Act Commissioners 

were appointed in place of Membķers. The Commissioner of Land Revenue, 

Commissioner of Survey and Settlement, commissioner of Excise, Commissioner of 

Commercial Taxes and Commissioner Land Reforms and Urban Land Ceiling