Notification of District Officer

Section OverviewPending legal verification

The appropriate Government may by notification in the Official Gazette appoint a District Officer for every district to exercise and perform such powers and functions under this Act, as may be prescribed.

The District Officer may designate an officer in each block, taluka and tehsil or ward, as the case may be, to be known as the Nodal Officer, to forward complaints to the concerned Local Committee within a period of seven days from the date of receipt of such complaint.

Temporary structural and explanatory content only; it is not a verbatim reproduction. Complete statutory text and legal commentary will be integrated after separate legal verification.

Source: Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of IndiaRetrieved: 2024-01-15

Plain Language

The appropriate Government must formally notify a District Officer for every district. This creates the administrative anchor for the Local Committee system.

The District Officer may also designate Nodal Officers at the block, taluka, tehsil, or ward level. These Nodal Officers serve as a forwarding mechanism — they receive complaints and pass them to the Local Committee within seven days.

This section ensures that there is always a designated public authority responsible for the Local Committee system at the district level.

Why It Matters

Without a notified District Officer, the Local Committee system has no administrative head. The District Officer constitutes the LC, receives its reports, and monitors its functioning.

The Nodal Officer designation extends the complaint intake network to sub-district levels, making the system accessible to workers in smaller towns and rural areas.

The seven-day forwarding requirement creates a procedural safeguard against complaints being lost or delayed at the intake stage.

Practical Example

Scenario: A domestic worker in a small town wants to file a complaint but her employer has fewer than ten workers and there is no IC.

Outcome: The Nodal Officer designated for that block or ward is the entry point. The Nodal Officer must forward the complaint to the Local Committee within seven days.

Who Must Act

government

Notify a District Officer for every district by publication in the Official Gazette.
Ensure that the District Officer has the resources and mandate to constitute and support the Local Committee.

district officer

Exercise and perform powers and functions under the Act as prescribed.
Designate Nodal Officers at the block, taluka, tehsil, or ward level for complaint forwarding.

Compliance

✓

Notify a District Officer for every district in the Official Gazette

Actor: Appropriate Government · Rule: Section 5(1)

✓

Designate Nodal Officers at sub-district levels to forward complaints within seven days

Actor: District Officer · Rule: Section 5(2)

Timelines

Complaint forwarding by Nodal Officer: 7 days

The Nodal Officer must forward complaints to the concerned Local Committee within seven days from the date of receipt.

Common Mistakes

✗

Assuming the District Officer is automatically the Collector or District Magistrate — the notification must be specific under this Act.

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Confusing the Nodal Officer's forwarding role with an adjudicatory role — the Nodal Officer does not decide or investigate, only forwards.

Source & Status

This page contains temporary structural and explanatory content, not a verbatim reproduction of the Act.

Source: Ministry of Law and Justice, Government of India

Publication status: Temporary content pending separate legal verification