Formed by a Revenue Department order, with its headquarters in the town that gives it its name
Background
Pathanamthitta is the thirteenth revenue district of Kerala. It was formed under Government Order (M.S) No. 1026/82/RD, dated 29 October 1982, with effect from 1 November 1982, and its headquarters is the town of Pathanamthitta. The district lies on the slopes of the Western Ghats and runs down to the low-lying paddy fields along Alappuzha district. The suffix RD in that order number marks it as an order of the Revenue Department, the department that carries out the formation and reorganisation of districts in Kerala.
Revenue district number:
Thirteenth
Government Order number:
G.O. (M.S) No.1026/82/RD
District headquarters:
Pathanamthitta
Why it matters for exams: Kerala PSC asks which department forms a district and how many districts Kerala has; the Revenue Department issues the Government Order and the answer to the count is fourteen.
Kerala PSCSSC
In plain words
G.O. Government Order — A written executive order of a government department.