A 1902 Envelope From Deoli to Kotah Addressed to Agency treasurer

Residency and Agency system enabled the British to exercise control on Princely Kingdoms.

The Residency system appointed a British Resident to the Princely Kingdoms. In return the Princely Kingdoms were assured protection through  deployment of company troops. The Princely Kingdoms also had to pay for the  maintenance of the troops. This was seen as a system of indirect rule by the British. The British Resident ensured that the Kingdoms did not maintain military forces  other than for internal policing.

The Agencies encompassed Princely Kingdoms where the agent was a representative of the Viceroy and the hinterland where the agent was in charge of law and order.

Rajputana consisted of three residencies and six agencies. 

The residencies were Mewar Residency, Jaipur Residency and Western Rajasthan Agency which was headquartered at Jodhpur.

The agencies were Alwar, Bikaner, Eastern Rajasthan, Haroti-Tonk, Kotah-Jhalawar, and Southern Rajputana.

The State Council of Jodhpur was constituted on 30thSeptember 1932 and was as under:

• President – His Highness the Maharaja Sahib Bahadur
• Vice President – Mr. J.W. Young, O.B.E (Acting)
• Finance Member – Mr. J.W. Young, O.B.E 
• Judicial Member – Rao Bahadur Thakur Chain Singhji of Pokaran
• Member-in-waiting – Rao Bahadur Rao Raja Narpat Singhji
• Revenue Member – Munshi Himmat Singhji K Maheswari

Mr. J.W. Young travelled to England on 5th November 1932 to attend the Third Session of the Round Table Conference and returned on 20th January 1933. The letter above was written to him whilst he was in England for the conference. His Highness Jodhpur too left for England on 4thOctober 1932 and returned on 6th December 1932.

On 10th May 1933, the Government of India formally approved the constitution of the Government of Jodhpur and the State Council was reconstituted.

• President – His Highness the Maharaja Sahib Bahadur
• Chief Minister – Mr. J.W. Young, O.B.E
• Finance Member – Mr. J.W. Young, O.B.E 
• Judicial Member – Rao Bahadur Thakur Chain Singhji of Pokaran
• Home Minister – Thakur Madho Singhji of Shankwas
• Revenue Member – Munshi Himmat Singhji K Maheswari

The Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCI&S) boasts a rich 140-year history, tracing its origins to 1862 when it was established as a statistical branch under India’s Finance Department. Sir William W. Hunter became its first Director General in 1871. Over time, the organization evolved, shifting its focus from statistics to commercial intelligence in 1905, before merging the two functions in 1925 to form the Directorate of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics.

Since its inception, DGCI&S has been compiling foreign trade statistics, expanding from fewer than 10 product groups to approximately 11,000 products at the 8-digit ITC (HS) level. Its key publications include:

• Monthly Statistics of Foreign Trade of India (MSFTI)
• Statistics of Foreign Trade of India by Countries (SFTIC)
• Indian Trade Journal (published weekly since April 5, 1906, without missing a      single issue)
• Interstate Movements of Goods by Rail, River, and Air (since 1917)

The organization embarked on modernization in 1984 with the decision to computerize operations. Other milestones include:

• Introduction of the Indian Trade Classification system (1957)
• Adoption of the UN Standard International Trade Classification (1977)
• Implementation of the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (1987)

Today, DGCI&S continues to evolve, significantly reducing publication delays while remaining committed to supporting India’s trade through accurate data and intelligence.