A person lives in a far off village which is almost two hours by bus. The villager's neighbour is a very powerful landlord who is trying to occupy the poor villager's land by force. You are the District Magistrate and busy in a meeting called by a local Minister. The villager has come all the way, by bus and on foot, to see you and give an application seeking protection from the powerful landlord. The villager keeps on waiting outside the meeting hall for an hour. You come out of the meeting and are rushing to another meeting. The villager follows you to submit his application. What would you do?

The correct answer is C because it demonstrates an optimal balance of empathy, administrative efficiency, and effective problem-solving, especially given the District Magistrate's (DM) time constraints and the villager's urgent and vulnerable situation.

Analysis of options:

A) Tell him to wait for another two hours till you come back from your next meeting This option shows a lack of empathy and sensitivity. The villager has already traveled far and waited an hour. Making him wait longer for an uncertain outcome is dismissive and could exacerbate his urgent problem, which involves a powerful landlord trying to occupy land by force.

B) Tell him that the matter is actually to be dealt by a junior officer and that he should give the application to him While delegation is part of administration, simply directing the villager to a junior officer without any personal intervention or assurance from the DM might make the villager feel unheard, especially given the power imbalance with the landlord. The villager came to the DM, the highest authority, seeking serious intervention.

C) Call one of your senior subordinate officers and ask him to solve the villager's problem This is the most appropriate action. The DM acknowledges the villager's presence and the urgency of the issue. By calling a senior subordinate and instructing them to solve the problem, the DM ensures that the matter is given immediate and serious attention by a competent authority. This provides immediate assurance to the villager that their problem is being addressed effectively, without the DM having to personally get bogged down in details while rushing to another meeting. It leverages the administrative hierarchy efficiently and empathetically.

D) Quickly take the application from him, ask him a few relevant questions regarding his problem and then proceed to the meeting. While taking the application and asking questions shows direct engagement, it might not be the most effective immediate solution. Given the DM is rushing, this might be a superficial action without ensuring a concrete mechanism for resolution is immediately set in motion. The villager might still be left wondering about the next steps. Option C goes further by immediately tasking a senior officer with the responsibility to solve the problem, ensuring action rather than just receipt of information.