Mandal

A tahsil or tehsil (Hindustani pronunciation: [t̪ɛɦˈsiːl]), also known as a taluk or taluka (from Arabic تعلق), is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administrative centre, with possible additional towns, and usually a number of villages. The terms in India have replaced earlier terms, such as pargana (pergunnah) and thana. In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, a newer unit called mandal (circle) has come to replace the tehsil system. A mandal is generally smaller than a tehsil, and is meant for facilitating local self-government in the panchayat system. In West Bengal, Bihar, and Jharkhand, community development blocks (CDBs) are the empowered grassroots administrative unit, replacing tehsils. Tehsil office is primarily tasked with land revenue administration, besides election and executive functions.