Tehsil

The equivalent terms tehsil, tahsil, tahasil, taluka, taluk and taluq refer to a unit of government in some Indian subcontinent countries. Regional preference determines which term is used, tehsil being preferred in Pakistan and in some Indian states such as Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Himachal Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh and taluka or taluk in others such as Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka.

Generally, a tehsil consists of a city or town that serves as its headquarters, possibly additional towns, and a number of villages. As an entity of local government, it exercises certain fiscal and administrative power over the villages and municipalities within its jurisdiction. It is the ultimate executive agency for land records and related administrative matters. Its chief official is called the tehsildar or talukdar.

Outside the region, the word "county" is often used as an explanatory equivalent or translation of the term "tehsil".[1]

India

Each tehsil is part of a larger District within a State or Union Territory. In some cases, the tehsils of a given District are organized into smaller groups of tehsils called Sub-Division (Pargana, Anuvibhag).

The governmental bodies called the panchayat samiti operate at the tehsil level.

The villages of a tehsil are grouped into smaller clusters known as hobli.

See also Subdivisions of India.

Pakistan

Each tehsil is part of a larger District (Zillah) within a Province.

See also Subdivisions of Pakistan.