Template:More citations needed
Template:Infobox government agency
The Department of Land Revenue or Revenue Department is a government department under Government of Kerala that manages all government owned lands and decides land use policies in the Indian state of Kerala. The department is also a government agency, deriving various taxes on land, as well as lease amounts from various government lands, which are principal sources of income for the Government. In addition, the department manages land-use policy, survey of land areas, and effective management and implementation of land reforms.
It is the largest department under the Government of Kerala, with more than 19000 employees and is also known as the Mother of All Departments.[1][2]
Leadership
The Revenue Department is headed by a senior cabinet minister, known as Minister for Revenue. The incumbent Minister is K. Rajan, who also holds the housing portfolio.[3]
At the administrative level, the department is headed by a senior IAS officer serving as the Additional Chief Secretary or Principal Secretary to the Government. The revenue secretary is assisted by additional secretaries, joint secretaries, deputy secretaries and under secretaries at the secretariat.
At the field level, the Commissioner of Land Revenue, the Director of Surveys and Land Records, and other heads of field agencies oversee their respective administrations. The Commissioner of Land Revenue, an officer of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) cadre, functions as the Head of the Department and supervises revenue administration at various levels, such as district collectorate.
Sub-departments
- Commissionerate of Land Revenue
- Directorate of Survey and Land Records
- The State Land Board[4]
Institute of Land and Disaster Management is an autonomous body that provides training to members of the department.[5]
Commissionerate of Land Revenue
The Land Revenue Commissionerate, which functions under the Revenue Department of the Government of Kerala and is headed by the Land Revenue Commissioner, serves as the headquarters of the Land Revenue Department. It has its headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram. It is the main operational wing of the Revenue Department, tasked with the protection and maintenance of government lands; the collection of land tax and plantation tax; the maintenance of land records; election-related duties; disaster management; maintenance of law and order; and the issuance of various licenses and certificates.[6][7]
For this purpose, the department is organised into 14 districts, 27 revenue divisions, 78 taluks, and 1,666 revenue villages. Each of the 14 districts has a Collectorate headed by the District Collector; each revenue division is headed by a Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO); each taluk is headed by a Tehsildar; and each revenue village is administered by a Village Officer.[8]
The district collectors of various districts reports to land revenue commissioner of the state.
Other agencies under Land Revenue Department
Directorate of Survey and Land Records
The Directorate of Survey and Land Records, Kerala is the department responsible for land surveys and maintenance of land records in Kerala, supporting revenue administration and land management. It has its headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram. The department is headed by a Director (IAS), and is assisted by Additional Directors, Joint Directors, and Deputy Directors.
The department consists of three wings: the Field Wing (Surveyors and Head Surveyors), the Office Wing (Draftsmen and Head Draftsmen), and the Administrative Wing.[11]
List of Revenue Ministers
K. M. Mani is the longest-serving Revenue Minister in Kerala, followed by Baby John as the second longest-serving.[12]
The following is the list of ministers who held the portfolio of land revenue in various ministries:
Controversies
The Revenue Department has frequently faced allegations of corruption. According to information obtained under the RTI Act, 42 of the 151 government employees arrested by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB) between January 2017 and July 2022 belonged to the Revenue Department, the highest among state departments. Revenue officials also topped the list of government employees arrested by the VACB for the last five years.[13][14]
See also
References
- ↑ History of Kerala Land revenue department - James Joseph Adhikarathil. Slideshare. Retrieved 2025-11-22.
- ↑ History - Revenue Department, ILDM Kerala.
- ↑ Government committed to providing title deeds to all: Kerala Revenue Minister. The Hindu(2025-09-16). Retrieved 2026-02-13.
- ↑ Sub-departments. Government of Kerala.
- ↑ Revenue Department Officials & Offices. Government of Kerala.
- ↑ Certificates, Admin. Department of Land Revenue(2025-01-21). Retrieved 2026-02-13.
- ↑ Arms Licence | District Thiruvananthapuram, Government of Kerala | India. Retrieved 2026-02-13.
- ↑ Organisation Structure, Admin. Department of Land Revenue(2025-01-22). Retrieved 2025-11-24.
- ↑ Vaikom land board orders acquisition of 70.86 acres of surplus land. The Hindu(2025-06-17). Retrieved 2025-11-24.
- ↑ ILDM | Institute of Land and Disaster Management. ildm.kerala.gov.in. Retrieved 2025-11-24.
- ↑ Organization Structure. Retrieved 2026-02-12.
- ↑ General Info - Kerala Legislature. www.niyamasabha.org. Retrieved 2026-04-22.
- ↑ RTI reveals revenue department as most corrupt in Kerala. The Hindu(2022-11-25). Retrieved 2026-02-01.
- ↑ Corruption among Kerala govt employees remains high; 539 people under scrutiny, TVM leads. @mathrubhumi(2025-01-31). Retrieved 2026-02-01.