What is SDM?
India follows a decentralised structure of administration. The whole country is divided into states, states are divided into districts and districts have further subdivisions. SDM is the officer at the sub-divisional level that takes care of the administration of his division and maintains law and order there. He maintains and coordinates all the activities of the division. He has the power to communicate with the government as well as various other departments whenever required. In this article, we will talk about SDM. We will cover SDM police full form, full form SDM, functions and process to become an SDM.
Full Form SDM
If we talk about the SDM full form, this abbreviation is used for "Sub Divisional Magistrate" and after becoming an IAS officer this is called the posting of the officer as an SDM. He heads the subdivision and is responsible for maintaining law and order in the division. He acts as a deputy commissioner of the region. He heads the Tehsildars and their staff and also has the authority to communicate with various other departments as well as the government whenever necessary. He is known as "Chief Civil Officer" at the sub-divisional level. Under the Criminal Procedure Code, 1973, he is responsible for executing various executive as well as magisterial roles and functions.
Definition
The SDM full form in simple words is Sub Divisional Magistrate. If we talk about its definition then, According to Section 20(4) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, "The State Government may place an Executive Magistrate in charge of a sub-division and may relieve him of the charge as occasion requires, and the Magistrate so placed in charge of a sub-division shall be called as the Sub-Divisional Magistrate”.
Functions
We have read the SDM police full form and definition. Let's go through the functions of SDM:
He may be appointed during the elections of Vidhan Sabha or Lok Sabha as a Returning officer.
In his subdivisions, he is responsible for rural development programs that are launched by the government but the execution is done by him.
He maintains the balance between the various segments such as local citizens, various departments and officials, market authorities, etc.
He is responsible to supervise as well as inspecting the matters related to the assessment or collection of land revenue.
He can ask for any records or registers from the police station related to the crime or also can ask the station house officer to help him in order to remove some confusion or where any explanation is required in any situation or matter.
He is responsible for maintaining harmony in the subdivision and is eligible to take necessary steps during an emergency.
How to Become an SDM?
In order to become an SDM, one has to appear and clear the UPSC CSE Exam. Here, full form SDM is Sub Divisional Magistrate which is elected through the exam of UPSC CSE. As this designation is assigned to the IAS officers, then a candidate has to become an IAS officer in order to become an SDM. For this, CSE i.e Civil Services Examination is conducted every year by the UPSC i.e Union Public Service Commission which is a constitutional body. The eligibility criteria as well as the pattern or structure of the examination is mentioned below.
Eligibility Conditions
In order to become an IAS officer, a candidate should have fulfilled the following eligibility criteria:
Nationality
The candidate should be a citizen of India in order to become an IAS officer. There are various other nationality criteria for other posts under this examination but in order to become an IAS, one must be an Indian citizen only.
Age Limit
As of 1 August of that year in which the candidate wants to apply, he must have attained 21 years of age and must not be more than 32 years. The age relaxation is also provided to different categories.
The upper age limit prescribed above will be relaxable:
up to a maximum of 5 years if a candidate belongs to a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe;
up to a maximum of 3 years in the case of candidates belonging to Other Backward Classes who are eligible to avail of reservation applicable to such candidates;
up to a maximum of 3 years in the case of Defence Services Personnel, disabled in operations during hostilities with any foreign country or a disturbed area and released as a consequence thereof;
up to a maximum of 5 years in the case of ex-servicemen including Commissioned Officers and Emergency Commissioned Officers (ECOs)/ Short Service Commissioned Officers (SSCOs) who have rendered at least five years Military Service as of 1st August 2021 and have been released:
on completion of assignment (including those whose assignment is due to be completed within one year from 1st August 2021, otherwise than by way of dismissal or discharge on account of misconduct or inefficiency); or
on account of physical disability attributable to Military Service; or
on invalidment.
up to a maximum of 5 years in the case of ECOs/SSCOs who have completed an initial period of assignment of five years of Military Service as of 1st August 2021 and whose assignment has been extended beyond five years and in whose case the Ministry of Defence issues a certificate that they can apply for civil employment and that they will be released on three months notice on selection from the date of receipt of an offer of appointment.
up to a maximum of 10 years in the case of candidates belonging to Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) categories viz.
blindness and low vision;
deaf and hard of hearing;
locomotor disability including cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack victims and muscular dystrophy;
autism, intellectual disability, specific learning disability and mental illness;
multiple disabilities from amongst person under clauses (a) to (d) including deaf-blindness.
Educational Qualification
In order to appear in the UPSC CSE exam, a candidate must hold any degree from any University which is incorporated by the Act of the centre or state legislature or other forms of educational institutions formed by the Parliament through an Act or any University which is declared as deemed to be a University under Section 3 of the UGC Act i.e University Grants Commission Act, 1956 or had an equivalent qualification.
Number of Attempts
There are a limited number of attempts in order to clear the UPSC CSE examination. Generally, the number of attempts is 6. Whereas some relaxation is also being provided by the commission to various categories such as Unlimited attempts in case of SC/ST 9 attempts in case of Other Backward Classes. In the case of PwBD, 9 attempts for GL/EWS/OBC as well as unlimited for SC and ST. Appearing in any one of the papers of CSE will be considered as an attempt.
Fee
There is a very minimum fee kept by the commission to fill the form which is Rs. 100 for the candidates except for Female/SC/ST/Persons with Benchmark Disability. The candidates who are not exempted can pay their fee directly in the branch of the State Bank of India or by the medium of a debit card or internet banking and other modes of payments that will be available.
Pattern of the Exam
We have already covered SDM long form or its definition and meaning. Let's go through the pattern of the exam which is required to clear. This exam is consists of three stages:
Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination
Civil Services (Main) Examination
Interview/Personality Test
Preliminary Examination
The preliminary stage of the exam consists of two exams of 200 marks each. Both exams are objective type papers that include MCQs and both the papers are compulsory to attempt in order to clear this stage. One paper is General Studies and another is CSAT. Here, the General Studies paper is a compulsory paper for merit whereas the CSAT paper is just qualifying in nature for which only 33% marks are required to clear but compulsory to attempt. In both the papers, questions will be asked in both English as well as Hindi. There is a negative marking of each wrong answer of 0.33%.
Main Examination
The candidates after clearing the preliminary stage will have to write the mains examination after filling the separate form. It is a sort of subjective examination where descriptive answers are required to be written by the candidates. Total 9 exams are given in this stage out of which 2 exams are qualifying in nature which means those will not be counted for merit calculation but compulsory to attempt.
Qualifying Papers
Paper A - (One of the Indian Languages to be selected by the candidate from the Languages included in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution). This exam is of 300 marks and qualifying in nature.
Paper B - English. This is also qualifying in nature and of 300 marks.
Merit Papers
The following papers are conducted for merit and each paper is of 250 marks:
Paper I - Essay
Paper II - General Studies - I
It consists of Indian Heritage and Culture, History and Geography of the World and Society.
Paper III - General Studies - II
It consists of Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice and International relations.
Paper IV - General Studies - III
It consists of Technology, Economic Development, Biodiversity, Environment, Security and Disaster
Management.
Paper V - General Studies - IV
It consists of Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude.
Paper VI - Optional - I
Paper VII - Optional - II
The optional paper can be chosen by the candidate from a wide list of subjects which is provided by the UPSC that includes various literature as well as other general subjects.
Interview
Those candidates who clear the Mains examination reach this stage where the personality test occurs and is of a total of 275 marks. After this on the basis of marks scored by candidates in mains and interview, the final result is declared.
Conclusion
IAS is the toughest examination in the country because of its long process of examination, various stages, syllabus, etc. It not only judges the knowledge of the candidate but also the patience as well. If we talk about IAS SDM full form, it refers to Indian Administrative Officer - Sub Divisional Magistrate. SDM is known as the first designation which is allotted to an IAS officer after clearing the CSE. In order to become an IAS, a candidate requires strict preparation of at least one year for which strategic planning is required. A candidate must choose an optional subject wisely and also practice mock tests of preliminary exams as well as answer writing practice for mains examination which is very crucial along with completion of the syllabus.
FAQs on SDM Full Form
Question 1. Who is SDM?
Answer. This is an abbreviation that is used for the Chief Civil Officer at a sub-divisional level and known as Sub Divisional Magistrate. Actually, an SDM is an IAS officer. After clearing the UPSC CSE and becoming an IAS officer, this is the first designation that is being assigned to an IAS officer. An SDM is responsible to look after the whole subdivision which is under him and responsible for maintaining law and order in the area.
Question 2. What are the Magisterial Functions of an SDM?
Answer. According to the Code of Criminal Procedure, an SDM is responsible to fulfil preventive functions as their executive magisterial functions. He inquires into the sudden deaths of any person in custody or any woman after marriage, or various other major incidents in the subdivision such as riots, fires, as well as any disaster or natural calamity, etc.
Question 3. How to Become an SDM?
Answer. If you want to become an SDM, then you have to become an IAS officer because after becoming an IAS, this is the first assigned to the IAS. For this, a candidate has to clear the UPSC CSE examination which is conducted every year and consists of three stages such as preliminary stage, mains stage of examination and interview stage. After clearing all these stages, the final merit is declared by the commission. To become an IAS, at least one year of preparation is required.
