MP govt looks for alternatives to 'collector' to shed colonial legacy

Most other states in India use the term "district magistrate" instead of "collector"

In an early decision after becoming Madhya Pradesh chief minister, Kamal Nath (pictured) had said he wanted to redesignate the office of the “collector” be­cause it was an inheritance of the colonial era, when “collectors were a tool to collect revenue for the British govern­ment”. Now, after more than a year, he has constituted a committee headed by senior IAS officer I C P Keshari, for the task. He, along with four other IAS officers, is expected to suggest alternatives to the word “collector”. Some options such as jila prashasak (district administrator) and jiladheesh (ruler of district) were discussed recently