Explained: The rush in the Rajasthan Patwari examinations

A Patwari is the lowest-ranked administrative officer in a district who performs land revenue-related administration work. Patwaris are subordinated to other officials such as tehsildars and sub-divisional officers (SDO). On being recruited, Patwaris are paid a monthly salary of Rs. 20,800 with allowances, which increases up to Rs. 22,000 after two years of working. The functions of a Patwari include overseeing the preparation of caste certificates, measurement of agricultural land, determination of extent of crop loss after natural calamities along with other administration-related works.

Patwaris working in the state say that the post serves as a link between many other government departments and performs their duties on the directions of other officials in the district administration such as the collector, SDO, tehsildar, etc.

How many Patwaris are there in Rajasthan?

According to Narendra Kaviya, the Jaipur unit president of the Rajasthan Patwar Sangh, there are presently around 13,000 sanctioned posts of Patwari in Rajasthan, out of which around 7,000 posts are filled. The present examination for recruitment in 5,378 posts is being conducted out of this vacancy. The minimum qualification to apply for the post is graduation. Kaviya said the last examination for the recruitment of Patwari in Rajasthan was conducted back in 2015.

What explains the huge rush in the Patwari examination?

As per Bhanwar Ranjit Singh, former president of the Rajasthan Patwar Sangh, each time there is examination for Patwari, the number of applying candidates goes into lakhs.

“The Patwari examination is seen by people as an entry point into government service. It is often seen that those who are preparing for examinations for much higher posts, such as Rajasthan Administrative Services (RAS), also appear in the Patwari examinations. On being selected for higher posts, they tend to leave the job. This is why the number of candidates in the Patwari examination is always very high,” says Singh.

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