Districts

   During the British colonial period, the district was the "pivot" of regional administration, the responsibility of deputy commissioners who had wide-ranging authority. But the district was not included in the four-level administrative structure defined by the Constitution of 1974: the national level, the state/division level, the township level, and the ward/village tract level. The State Peace and Development Council, however, has reintroduced the districts, intermediate between the states/divisions and the townships, a measure that will probably be formalized by the introduction of a new constitution. The measure has apparently been adopted to strengthen central government control over the localities. District-level Peace and Development Councils are the responsibility of a Tatmadaw officer of lieutenant-colonel rank. Burma, at present, is divided into 62 districts, further subdivided into 324 townships.

   See also Administration of Burma, British Colonial Period; Administration of Burma, State Law and Order Restoration Council /State Peace and Development Council Era.