When deciding on new districts, there are obvious criteria like population, geographical area and the distance from district headquarters. Second, why does Bengal (West Bengal) alone need a specific statute to create a zila (district)? Think of various entities involved in a district’s development — the district collector/district magistrate/district Commissioner, the DRDA, the MP, multiple MLAs and ZPs. That’s true even if the DRDAs are replaced by something like rural development cells in ZPs, to function as district planning committees. Thus, unlike the district, who “owns” the planning and development functions in panchayat samitis and gram panchayats?

Source: Indian Express May 17, 2017 18:32 UTC