Prior to 1947,Kashmir was aprincely state under theparamountcy of theBritish Indian Empire. The central part of the princely state was administratively divided into the provinces Jammu and Kashmir. In addition there were frontier districts and semi-autonomousjagirs (principalities). They were subdivided as follows:[2]
The Gilgit district and the frontierilaqas were administered by the British administration as theGilgit Agency, which were returned to the princely state prior to thePartition of India.
After thepartition of India and subsequent independence of India and Pakistan, in October 1947, following arebellion coupled with atribal invasion from newly independentPakistan, theMaharaja of Jammu and Kashmir acceded to India in return for armed assistance. India and Pakistan fought theFirst Kashmir War that lasted through 1948, at the end of which large parts of the three western districts of Mirpur, Poonch and Muzaffarabad, the whole of the Gilgit Agency and the Skardu sub-district of Ladakh came under Pakistani control. The remainder of the princely state had been organised as astate of India under the nameJammu and Kashmir.
TheDeputy Commissioner (DC) is the head of the district administration. They are responsible for overall administration and development activities in the district. The DC functions asDistrict Magistrate (DM) for maintenance of law and order and as Collector for revenue administration. In the capacity of Collector, the DC oversees revenue administration, managing tasks such as revenue collection, land records maintenance, and implementation of government fiscal policies. The DC is usually an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer. The Deputy commissioner is assisted by Additional Deputy Commissioners, Assistant Commissioners and Sub-divisional magistrates. The districts are further divided into sub-districts and tehsils.[8]
Chenab Valley Division from Jammu division: encompassing the existing 3 districts of Doda, Kishtwar, and Ramban in easternmost part of Jammu DIvision. Chief MinisterOmar Abdullah, in 2019, stated that if his party came to power, it would grant divisional status to both the Chenab Valley and the Pir Panjal region.[38][39][40]
Pir Panjal Division from Jammu Division: encompassing the existing 2 districts of Poonch and Rajouri in northwestern part of Jammu Division, which are also part of the Jammu division. The advocates for this division highlight the need for a governance structure that can effectively address the specific developmental needs of the region's diverse population, which includes a significant number of Pahari and Gujjar communities with distinct terrain, culture, and economic activities. Omar Abdullah's political agenda has included granting divisional status to this region as well.[38][41]
In 2018, BJP repeated it's old demand of creating 4 to 5 new districts in Jammu division which has 70% more area than Kashmir Division yet presently both have same number of districts, 10 each.[42]
^District Census Handbook Kulgam, Part A(PDF).Census of India 2011 (Report). July 2016. p. 10. Retrieved21 November 2020. District Census Handbook Kulgam, Part B(PDF).Census of India 2011 (Report). 16 June 2014. pp. 12, 22. Retrieved21 November 2020. Part B page 12 says the area of the district is 404 sq km, but page 22 says 410 sq km.
^District Census Handbook Shupiyan, Part A(PDF).Census of India 2011 (Report). 16 June 2014. p. 10. Retrieved21 November 2020. District Census Handbook Shupiyan, Part B(PDF).Census of India 2011 (Report). 16 June 2014. pp. 12, 22. Retrieved21 November 2020. Part B pages 12 and 22 say the district area is 312.00 sq km, but Part A page 10 says 307.42 sq km.
^District Census Handbook Badgam, Part A(PDF).Census of India 2011 (Report). July 2016. pp. 10, 46. Retrieved21 November 2020. District Census Handbook Badgam, Part B(PDF).Census of India 2011 (Report). 16 June 2014. pp. 11, 12, 22. Retrieved21 November 2020. Part A says the district area is 1371 sq km, Part B says 1371 sq km (page 11) and 1361 sq km (page 12s and 22).
^District Census Handbook Srinagar, Part A(PDF).Census of India 2011 (Report). July 2016. pp. 11, 48. Retrieved21 November 2020. Part A page 48 says the district area was 2228.0 sq km in 2001 and 1978.95 sq km in 2011.
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