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Administration in Haryana

Administration in Haryana

If we look into ancient Indian literature, we will find that the boundaries of present day Haryana coincide with that of the ancient state of Kurukshetra. Hence many are of the opinion that the land, which we today call Haryana, was actually the land of the Kurus. In fact, many of the administrative practices practiced in this region even to this day have their root buried deep into the history. The Khap system is one of them.

Creation of Modern Day Haryana

Nonetheless, the present day Haryana was established only on the first of November, 1966. Till then, the area fell under the state of Punjab. Due to prolonged agitation by Punjabi Sabha, which wanted a separate state with Punjabi as the dominant language, a committee headed by Saradar Hukum Singh was formed at the national level. The formation of this committee was announced in the Parliament on 23rd September, 1965 and was known as Sardar Hukum Singh Parliamentary Committee.

On studying the ground reality, Sardar Hukum Singh Parliamentary Committee, recommended division of Punjab into two states, Haryana and Punjab. On his recommendation, the Shah Commission, headed by Justice J. C. Shah, was formed to divide and demarcate the boundaries between the two states. Formation of this new committee was announced in the Parliament on 23rd April, 1966 and it submitted its report on 31st May, 1966. Finally on 1st November, 1966, the new state of Haryana came into being via Punjab Reorganization Act, 1966.

Districts in Haryana

Haryana Districts

Divisions and Districts in Haryana

Ambala Division include Ambala, Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Pamchkula and Yamuna Nagar Districts.

Rothak Division include Rothak, Jhajjar, Karnal, Panipat and Sonipat Districts.

Gurgaon Division include Gurgaon, Faridabad, Palwal, Mahendranagar, Mewat and Rewari Districts.

Hissar Division include Hissar, Jind, Sirsa, Bhiwani and Fatehabad Districts.
According to the report submitted by Justice J. C. Shah, the then districts of Mahendranagar, Hissar, Rothak, Karnal and Gurgaon; tehsils of Jind, Narwana, Naraingarh, Ambala, Jagadhari and Kharar should have been a part of Haryana. However, Kharar remained with Punjab and the rest were included under Haryana. Later all these districts were rearranged for administrative necessity. Today, Haryana has 21 districts under four divisions.

Each of Haryana's districts is further divided into subdivisions, tehsils and blocks. Today Haryana has 58 sub-divisions, 80 tehsils, 50 sub-tehsils and 124 development blocks. It also has 154 cities/towns and 6,841 villages. For administration purpose a multi level administration has been set up at Haryana encompassing each and every unit. At the top of this hierarchy is the state level administration.

Administration in Haryana at State Level

Haryana Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki

As per Constitution of India, Haryana is governed through a Governor appointed by the President of India. The Governor represents the centre at the state level. However, the post is largely ceremonial and the actual power rests with the Chief Minister, elected by the people. Moreover, administrative system follows the all India pattern. It is divided into three parts – legislative, executive and judiciary.

Legislation in Haryana

Vidhan Bhawan the State Legislature
Source Flickr

Just as in rest of India, Haryana has a Legislative Assembly for enacting of laws and introduction of money bills etc. However, the state follows a unicameral system; which means that the Legislative Assembly in Haryana has only one house, the Vidhan Sabha.

The seat of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha is located in Chandigarh, which is the capital of both Haryana and Punjab. The building is known as Vidhan Bhawan and is shared by both these states.  As per norms, the business of the house is conducted under the chairmanship of the Honorable Speaker chosen from the elected members. Leader of the majority party generally acts as the Leader of the House while the post of the Leader of the Opposition generally goes to the largest opposition party in the house.

Major Political Parties in Haryana

1. Shiromani Akali Dal
2. Bharaiya Janata Party (BJP)
3. Indian National Congress (INC)
4. Indian National Lok Dal (INLD)
5. Haryana Janhit Congress
6. Bahujan Samaj Party
The Honorable Speaker
Kanwar Pal Gujjar

Leader of the House
Manoharlal Khattar of BJP

Leader of the Opposition
Abhay Singh Chautala of Indian National Lok Dal


Members of Legislative Assembly in Haryana

Haryana Legislative Assembly has ninety members directly elected by the people. Out of them, seventeen seats fall into reserved category. Following is a list of MLAs in Haryana along with their party affiliation and constituency:

Name: Abhay Singh Chautala
Party Affiliation: INLD
Constituency: Ellenabad

Name: Abhe Singh Yadav
Party Affiliation: BJP
Constituency: Nanagal Chadhary

Name: Aftab Ahmed
Party Affiliation: INC
Constituency: Nuh

Name: Anil Vij
Party Affiliation: BJP
Constituency: Ambala Cantt

Name: Anoop Dhanak
Party Affiliation: JJP
Constituency: Uklana

Name: Aseem Goel
Party Affiliation: BJP
Constituency: Ambala City

Name: Balbir Singh
Party Affiliation: INC
Constituency: Israna (Reserved)

Name: Balraj Kundu
Party Affiliation: Independent
Constituency: Meham

Name: Banwari Lal
Party Affiliation: BJP
Constituency: Bawal (Reserved)

Name: Bharat Bhushan Batra
Party Affiliation: INC
Constituency: Rohtak

Name: Bhupinder Singh Hooda
Party Affiliation: INC
Constituency: Garhi Sampla Kiloi

Name: Bishamber Singh
Party Affiliation: BJP
Constituency: Bawani Khera

Name: Chiranjeev Rao
Party Affiliation: INC
Constituency: Rewari

Name: Deepak Mangla
Party Affiliation: BJP
Constituency: Palwal

Name: Devender Singh Babli
Party Affiliation: JJP
Constituency: Tohana

Name: Dharam Pal Gonder
Party Affiliation: Independent
Constituency: Nilokheri (Reserved)

Name: Dharam Singh Chhoker
Party Affiliation: INC
Constituency: Samalkha

Name: Dura Ram
Party Affiliation: INC
Constituency: Fatehabad

Name: Dushyant Chautala
Party Affiliation: JJP
Constituency: Uchana Kalan

Name: Geeta Bhukkal
Party Affiliation: INC
Constituency: Jhajjar (Reserved)

Name: Ghanshyam Dass
Party Affiliation: BJP
Constituency: Yamuna Nagar

Name: Ghanshyam Saraf
Party Affiliation: BJP
Constituency: Bhiwani

Name: Gian Chand Gupta
Party Affiliation: BJP
Constituency: Panchkula

Name: Gopal Kanda
Party Affiliation: HLP
Constituency: Sirsa

Name: Harvinder Kalyan
Party Affiliation: BJP
Constituency: Gharaunda

Name: Ishwar Singh
Party Affiliation: JJP
Constituency: Guhla (Reserved)

To get Haryana Vidhan Sabha member list click here

Members of Parliaments from Haryana

Haryana also sends 10 members to represent the state at the Lok Sabha and five member to Rajya Sabha. Following is a list of Lok Sabha MPs from Haryana:

Name: Rattan Lal Kataria
Party Affiliation: BJP
Constituency: Ambala

Name: Dharamvir
Party Affiliation: BJP
Constituency: Bhiwani-Mahendragarh

Name: Krishan Lal
Party Affiliation: BJP
Constituency: Faridabad

Name: Rao Inderjit Singh
Party Affiliation: BJP
Constituency: Gurgaon

Name: Brijendra Singh
Party Affiliation: BJP
Constituency: Hisar

Name: Sanjay Bhatia
Party Affiliation: BJP
Constituency: Karnal

Name: Nayab Singh
Party Affiliation: BJP
Constituency: Kurukshetra

Name: Arvind Kumar Sharma
Party Affiliation: BJP
Constituency: Rothak

Name: Sunita Duggal
Party Affiliation: BJP
Constituency: Sirsa

Name: Ramesh Chander Kaushik
Party Affiliation: BJP
Constituency:  Sonipat

Executives in Haryana

The Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh
Source Flickr

As we have already pointed out, while the Governor of Haryana is the de jure head of the state, the de facto executive power rests with the Chief Minister. He is selected from the party or coalition, which holds the majority seats in Vidhan Sabha. He is aided in his work by a Council of Ministers chosen from the elected members.

Chief Minister of Haryana

Chief Minister of Haryana

Manoharlal Khattar of BJP is the present Chief Minister of Haryana. His office is located at Haryana Civil Secretariat (fourth floor) at Chandigarh. Following is his contact details:
Office Phone No: 274-9396, 274-9409
Residential Phone No: 274-9394, 274-9395
Fax: 274-0596
EPBAX Ext: 2402

One may note that, Manoharlal Khattar is the 10th Chief Minister of Haryana. The previous Chief Ministers are Bhagwat Dayal Sharma, Rao Birender Sing, Banasi Lal, Banarasi Das Gupta, Chaudhary Devi Lal, Bhajan Lal, Om Prakash Chautala, Hukum Singh and Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

It is the job of the Chief Minister to distribute different portfolios among different ministers. He along with his colleagues is collectively responsible to the Vidhan Sabha and can be removed through a motion of No-Confidence. Following is a list of cabinet ministers in Haryana
  • Shri Manohar Lal Khattar, Honorable Chief Minister of Haryana
  • Sri Dushyant Chautala, Deputy Chief Minister of Haryana
  • Sh. Ram Vilas Sharma
  • Captain Abhimanyu
  • Shri Om Prakash Dhankar
  • Shri Anil Vij
  • Shri Narbir Singh
  • Sm Kavita Jain

To know more about the Council of Ministers in Haryana you may Click Here.

Judiciary in Haryana

Punjab and Haryana High Court at Chandigarh

Just as in anywhere else in India, judiciary is the third branch of administration in Haryana. The High Court of Punjab and Haryana is a common institution that caters to both these states. It is the highest court in this state. Below the High Court is a hierarchy of subordinate courts such as the civil courts, criminal courts, family courts, district courts etc. Although the High Court has the original jurisdiction under normal circumstances it acts as an appellate court.  President of India appoints the judges at the High court after consultation with the Chief Justice of India, Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court and Governor of Haryana. For more information, you may Click Here.

Also Read: Courts in Panipat | Courts in Ambala | Courts in Bhiwani

Prisons in Haryana

Jails in Haryana

Jails are another arm of administration in Haryana. The state has different categories of jails. The three Central Jails in Haryana are Central Jail Ambala, Central Jail Hissar I and Central Jail Hissar II. These jails are meant for prisoners who have been sentenced to long imprisonments (2 years or more).

Besides, there are 16 District Jails located in various parts of the state. They are District Jail Bhiwani, District Jail Faridabad, District Jail Jind, District Jail Karnal, District Jail Narnaul, District Jail Rothak, District Jail Gurgaon, District Jail Kaithal, District Jail Kurukshetra, District Jail Rewari, District Jail Sirsa, District Jail Sonepat, District Jail Yamunanagar, District Jail Palwal, District Jail Panipat and District Jail Jhajjar. Incidentally, Haryana has no sub jail.  For more information, you may click here.

Administration in Haryana at District Level

Panchayats in Haryana

At the district level, the administration is carried on by the Deputy Commissioner, who is also known as District Collector and/or District Magistrate. He is the senior most officer in the district and is entrusted with the job of implementing all the government programs in areas under his jurisdiction. He is assisted by a team of officers including the Sub Divisional Magistrates, District Revenue Officers, District Welfare Officers, Tehsildars, Naib Tehsildars etc.

Administration at Block Level in Haryana

The administration at the block level is carried on by Block Development and Panchayat Officers (BDPO). Apart from implementing government programs and collection of revenue at block level he also has to interact with different Gram Panchayats located in areas under his jurisdiction.

Administration at Local Level in Haryana

A system of local governance is prevalent in all stages in Haryana. While most cities and towns have Municipal Corporations and Councils to take care of local administration, the state also has 21 also Zila Parishads, 119 panchayat Samitis and 6083 Gram Panchayats to look after the administration at village level.

Panchayati Raj in Haryana

Panchayat at Jind

It may not be out of place to mention that the Panchayati Raj is a three-tier administrative system aimed at taking democratic reforms to the grass root level. These three tiers are Gram Panchayat, Block Panchayat and Zilla Parishad. The system has also been prevalent in ancient India. Mahatma Gandhi vociferously advocated this type of local administration because he believed that only Panchayati Raj can take each village to its goal of self reliance.

If we look into the etymology we will find that panch means five and ayat means gathering. Therefore, the word literally means assembly of five. Today, such panchayats have more than five members. Moreover, these members are elected by the people. However, the work at the Panchayat level is monitored by Development of Panchayats Department, Government of Haryana. 

Evolution of Panchayati Raj in Haryana

Panchayati Raj as we find today in Haryana grew evolved over a period of time. It is to be remembered that Haryana was carved out of Punjab province in 1966. At that time, the Punjab Gram Panchayat Act, 1952 was made applicable to Haryana.  Later, Haryana Panchayati Raj Act, 1994 came into being a; the act became applicable from 22nd April, 1994.

Next, Haryana Panchayati Raj Election Rules, 1994 were formulated on 24th August, 1994. It was followed by Haryana Panchayati Rules, 1995. The mentioned act was notified on 16th February1995. Subsequently the Haryana Panchayati Raj Finance Budget/ Accounts/ Audit/ Taxation and works Rules 1996 were also enacted; it was notified on 14th August, 1996.

Under the Haryana Panchayati Raj Act 1994, the Panchayati Raj Institutions have been entrusted with duties & functions related to all the 29 subjects listed in Eleventh Schedule of the Constitution. For more information on local self governance in Haryana you may click here.

Khap Panchayats in Haryana

Khap Panchayat at Haryana

It is to be remembered that the Khap Panchayats have no legal validity; they came out of age old traditions that probably evolved many centuries ago. Most likely they were created in the 14th century by the dominant clan known as Jats. Initially this was done to protect the inhabitants from loot and plunder in those turbulent days and preserve the traditional way of life. However, it also helped the Jats to consolidate their power and position in the society.

As we said, Khaps have no legal validity. Yet their influence in the administration of the area under their control cannot be denied in any way. In its essence they are simply cluster of villages that are located in a geographical area and are united by caste. In general, a number of panchayats make one Khap and the collection of Khaps is known as Sarva Khap.

The Khaps tend to preserve the age old customs and traditions; while doing so they often exercise some quasi judicial power, which have no legal sanctions, but are accepted by the people. Sometimes, such rulings go against modern way of thought and therefore deem barbaric by many.  For example, they believe that the inhabitants within a cluster are siblings and therefore, they do not accept inter caste and intra gotra marriages. The rulings in such cases often go against modern way of thinking. Barring few such exceptional cases, the Khap Panchayats helps to settle disputes in a very short time and hence is welcomed by many.

Also Read: Administration in Palwal | Administration in Panchkula | Administration in Panipat | Administration in Rewari | Administration in Rohtak | Administration in Thanesar | Administration in Yamunanagar | Administration in Ambala | Administration in Bahadurgarh | Administration in Bhiwani | Administration in Faridabad | Administration in Jagadhari Administration in Jind

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