List of districts of Chhattisgarh


, a state of India, has 33 administrative districts, up from 16 districts it had in 2000 when it was formed as a new state.

Background

A district of an Indian state is an administrative geographical unit, headed by a district magistrate or a deputy commissioner, an officer belonging to the Indian Administrative Service. The district magistrate or the deputy commissioner is assisted by a number of officials belonging to different wings of the administrative services of the state.
A superintendent of police, an officer belonging to Indian Police Service, is entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining law and order and related issues.

History

British Raj

Before Indian independence, present-day Chhattisgarh state was divided between the Central Provinces and Berar, a province of British India, and a number of princely states in the north, south, and east, which were part of the Eastern States Agency.
The British province encompassed the central portion of the state, and was made up of three districts, Raipur, Bilaspur, and Durg, which made up the Chhattisgarh Division of the Central Provinces. In 1906, Durg District was created out of the western portion of Raipur District.
The northern portion of the state, comprising present-day Koriya, Surajpur, Surguja, Jashpur, and Raigarh districts, was divided among the six princely states of Chang Bhakar, Jashpur, Koriya, Surajpur, Raigarh, Surguja, and Udaipur. To the west, the states of Nandgaon, Khairagarh, Chhuikhadan and Kawardha comprised parts of present-day Rajnandgaon and Kawardha districts. In the south, the state of Kanker comprised the northern portion of present-day Kanker District, and the state of Bastar included present-day Bastar and Dantewada districts and the southern part of Kanker District.

1947-1999: Post-independence of India

After Indian Independence, the princely states were merged with the Central Provinces and Berar to form the new state of Madhya Pradesh. Present-day Chhattisgarh comprised seven districts of Madhya Pradesh. The former states of Kanker and Bastar formed the new Bastar District, the parts of Surguja, Korea, and Chang Bhakar formed the new Surguja District, and the states of Nandgaon, Khairagarh, Chhuikhadan and Kawardha formed the new Rajnandgaon District.
In 1998, the seven districts that make up present-day Chhattisgarh were reorganized to form 16 districts. Dantewada and Kanker districts were split from Bastar; Dhamtari District was split from Raipur; Janjgir-Champa and Korba districts were split from Bilaspur; Jashpur District was split from Raigarh; Kawardha District was formed from parts of Bilaspur and Rajnandgaon; Koriya and Surajpur District was split from Surguja; and Mahasamund District was split from Raipur.

2000: Chhattisgarh as new state

On 1st November 2000, these 16 districts were split from Madhya Pradesh to form the new state of Chhattisgarh.

2007 onwards: growth in number of districts

On 11 May 2007, two new districts, Bijapur and Narayanpur were carved out, taking the total number of districts to 18.
On 1st January 2012, the Chhattisgarh government announced 9 new districts, for a total of 27, including newly created Sukma, Kondagaon, Balod, Bemetara, Baloda Bazar, Gariaband, Mungeli, Surajpur and Balrampur districts.
On 15th August 2019, the Chhattisgarh chief minister announced the creation of Chhattisgarh's 28th district, Gaurela-Pendra-Marwahi, which was formally inaugurated on 10 February 2020 as the new district.
In September 2022, five new districts were inaugurated taking the total to 33 districts, including newly created Manpur-Mohla on 2 September, Sarangarh-Bilaigarh on 3 September, and Manendragarh and Sakti districts on 9 September, Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai on 3 September 2022

Regions and divisions

Chhattisgarh has 3 geographical regions:
  • North - Northern Hills Region: covered by Surguja division.
  • Centre - Chhattisgarh Plains: covered by Durg, Raipur, Bilaspur divisions.
  • South - Bastar Plateau: covered by Bastar division.

Existing districts of Chhattisgarh

Alphabetical list of districts

Chhattisgarh consists of 33 districts.
S.NoCodeDistrictHeadquartersPopulation Area Density Official websiteMap
1BalodBalod826,1653,527.00234http://balod.gov.in/
2Baloda Bazar-BhataparaBaloda Bazar1,078,9113,733.87290https://balodabazar.gov.in/
3BalrampurBalrampur730,4916,016.34100http://balrampur.gov.in/
4BABastarJagdalpur834,8736,596.90213http://bastar.gov.in/
5BemetaraBemetara795,7592,854.81279http://bemetara.gov.in/
6BijapurBijapur255,2306,552.9639http://bijapur.gov.in/
7BIBilaspurBilaspur1,625,5023,511.10463http://bilaspur.gov.in/
8DADantewadaDantewada283,4793,410.5083http://dantewada.gov.in/
9DHDhamtariDhamtari799,7814,081.93196http://dhamtari.gov.in/
10DUDurgDurg1,721,9482,319.99742http://durg.gov.in/
11GBGariabandGariaband597,6535,854.94103http://gariaband.gov.in/
12GPMGaurella-Pendra-MarwahiGaurella336,4202,307.39166https://gaurela-pendra-marwahi.cg.gov.in/
13JCJanjgir-ChampaJanjgir972,4532375.59360http://janjgir-champa.gov.in/
14JAJashpurJashpur851,6696,457.41132https://jashpur.nic.in/en/
15KWKabirdhamKawardha822,5264,447.05185http://kawardha.gov.in/
16KKKankerKanker748,9416,432.68117http://kanker.gov.in/
17KondagaonKondagaon578,3266,050.7396http://kondagaon.gov.in/
18KCGKhairagarh-Chhuikhadan-GandaiKhairagarh368,4441553.84-https://s351ef186e18dc00c2d31982567235c559.s3waas.gov.in/hi/
19KBKorbaKorba1,206,6407,145.44169http://korba.gov.in/
20KJKoriyaBaikunthpur247,4272001.77937http://korea.gov.in/
21MAMahasamundMahasamund1,032,7544,963.01208http://mahasamund.gov.in/
22MCBManendragarh-Chirmiri-BharatpurManendragarh3760004226-https://manendragarh-chirmiri-bharatpur.cg.gov.in/en/
23MMMohla-Manpur- Ambagarh ChowkiMohla283,9472145.29-https://mohla-manpur-ambagarhchowki.cg.gov.in/en/
24MungeliMungeli701,7072,750.36255http://mungeli.gov.in
25NarayanpurNarayanpur139,8206,922.6820http://narayanpur.gov.in/
26RGRaigarhRaigarh1,112,9826527.44-http://raigarh.gov.in/
27RPRaipurRaipur2,160,8762,914.37742http://raipur.gov.in/
28RNRajnandgaonRajnandgaon884,7428,070110http://rajnandgaon.gov.in/
29SBSarangarh-BilaigarhSarangarh607,4341650.14-https://sarangarh-bilaigarh.cg.gov.in/
30SktSaktiSakti653,0361600.88-https://sakti.cg.gov.in/
31SKSukmaSukma250,1595,767.0243https://sukma.gov.in/
32SJSurajpurSurajpur789,0434,998.26158http://surajpur.gov.in/
33SUSurgujaAmbikapur840,3525,019.80167http://surguja.gov.in/

List of districts by divisions

Divisions listed north to south and east to west, and within divisions the districts have been listed clockwise starting from northwest.
  • North Chhattisgarh:
  • * Surguja Division
  • Central Chhattisgarh:
  • * North-Central Chhattisgarh: Bilaspur Division
  • * East-Central Raipur Division
  • * West-Central Chhattisgarh: Durg Division
  • South Chhattisgarh
  • * '''Bastar Division'''

List of districts with their major cities

S.NoDistrictHeadquarterLargest CityOther Major Cities or Towns
1RaipurRaipurRaipurNaya Raipur, Sarona, Tatibandh, Nardaha, Ama Seoni, Kendri, Mana, Mana Camp, Sejbahar, Saddu, Daldal Seoni, Mowa, Kharora, Arang, Dharsiwa, Siltara, Birgaon, Tilda
2BilaspurBilaspurBilaspurKota, Ratanpur, Takhatpur, Masturi, Bilha, Beltara
3DurgDurgBhilaiCharoda, Kumhari, Utai, Anda, Dhamdha, Patan,Risali, Ahiwara, Supela, Jamul, Rasmara, Baghera
4KorbaKorbaKorbaKatghora, Pali, Dipka
5RaigarhRaigarhRaigarhKharsia, Gharghora, Dharamjaigarh
6RajnandgaonRajnandgaonRajnandgaonDongargarh, Dongargaon
7KoriyaBaikunthpurBaikunthpurSonhat, Patna, Churcha
8SurgujaAmbikapurAmbikapurSitapur
9BalrampurBalrampurRamanujganj
10JashpurJashpur-NagarJashpur-NagarKunkuri, Patthalgaon
11SurajpurSurajpurSurajpurBishrampur, Bhatgaon, Pratappur, Prem Nagar, Ramanuj Nagar, Bhaiyathan, Odagi
12Janjgir–ChampaJanjgirChampaJanjgir, Akaltara
13MungeliMungeliMungeliLormi, Sargaon, Pathariya
14KabirdhamKawardhaKawardhaPandariya, Pandatarai
15BemetaraBemetaraBemetaraSaja, Berla, Navagarh, Deokar
16BalodBalodBalodDalli-Rajhara, Dondi Lohara, Dondi
17Baloda Bazar-BhataparaBaloda BazarBhatapara
Balodabazar, Bhatapara, Kasdol, Simga, Palari, Bilaigarh
18GariabandGariabandGariabandFingeshwar, Chhura, Gariaband, Deobhog, Mainpur
19Mahasamund districtMahasamundMahasamundSaraipali, Basna, Pithoura, Mahasamund, Bagbahra
20DhamtariDhamtariDhamtariKurud, Nagri
21BijapurBijapurBijapur
22NarayanpurNarayanpurNarayanpur
23North BastarKankerKankerBhanupratapur
24BastarJagdalpurJagdalpurBastar
25South BastarDantewadaDantewada
26KondagaonKondagaonKondagaon
27SukmaSukmaSukmaKonta
28Gaurella-Pendra-MarwahiGaurellaGaurella, Pendra, MarwahiPendra, Pendraroad
29Manendragarh-Chirmiri-BharatpurManendragarhChirmiriManendragarh, Khongapani
30Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-GandaiKhairagarhKhairagarhChhuikhadan
31SaktiSaktiSaktiBaradwar, Malkharoda, Jaijaipur, Dabhra, Chandrapur, Hasaud, Adbhar, Bhothiya
32Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh ChowkiMohlaAmbagarh ChowkiManpur
33Sarangarh-BilaigarhSarangarhSarangarhBilaigarh

Future: demands

Justification for demands

To bring the development for the least developed and to counter the LWE in the light of continuous surrender of Naxalites in South Chhattisgarh and the ongoing anti-Naxal operations highlight the need for a stronger administrative presence and development in the Bastar division districts to achieve government's stated goal of eliminating Maoism and make Bastar an industrial and tourism hub through development and peace. This requires shifting the Bastar division HQ closer to the core LWE areas and creating a new division and district HQ in "core insurgency areas" like Puwarti which directly align with the strategy of proactive governance and development-led counter-insurgency.
The creation of new districts like Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki was explicitly aimed at tackling insurgency and providing new opportunities for development in health, education, and connectivity in the region. This supports the rationale for creating districts like Kothitola or Badna-Kukdur.

Raipur State Capital Region

There is a demand to officially create the Raipur State Capital Region, encompassing Raipur, Nava Raipur, Bhilai, and Durg, wih a unified regional development authority.

Demand for new regional capitals

The proposal to create new regional capitals aims to decentralize power and spur regional growth, which is a common administrative reform objective.
Proposed new regional capitals, centrally located within the region, are:
  • Ambikapur for north Chhattisgarh: a major city and centrally located divisional HQ.
  • Bilaspur for north-central Chhattisgarh: a major city and centrally located divisional HQ.
  • Benoor for uppper-south Chhattisgarh: centrally located.
  • Puwarti for lower-south Chhattisgarh: centrally located, also a proposed district and divisional HQ, lies in the core Naxal area.

Demand for new divisions

  • Rajnandgaon division : move the Bhilai divisional HQ to the under-developed aspirational HQ Rajnandgaon for equidistant efficiency. Besides, Bhilai is ery close to the state capital and also part of the SCR.
  • Divide Bastar division:
  • * Bijapur division with HQ at either Bijapur or new district Puwarti.
  • * Benoor division to a more central location and closer to the Naxal problem, i.e. either Benoor, Kondagaon or Narayanpur.

Demand for new districts

The list comprises potential new districts, many of which are historically remote or Naxal-affected LWE areas, aligning with the state's ongoing policy of creating smaller districts for improved governance and development.

North Chhattisgarh

This region corresponds to the Surguja Division, which is in the northern part of the state.
  • Bharatpur : Located on SH8 near the remote MP border. Note: Bharatpur is already a subdivision of the recently created Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur district.
  • Sanawal : 75km away from district HQ, in the remote border area.
  • Kusmi : Half-way or 75 km in remote hilly area between Balrampur-Jashpur Nagar.

North-Central Chhattisgarh

This region encompasses the northern and eastern parts of the Bilaspur Division.
  • Dharamjaigarh : 90-100 km from surrounding district centers. The area is a focus point for tribal rights and mining protests, currently a block in Raigarh district.
  • Pamsala : 90-100 km from surrounding district centers.
  • Chotiya-Parla : Likely from Korba/Janjgir-Champa area.

East-Central Chhattisgarh

This region covers the eastern edge of the Raipur Division and the southern Bilaspur Division.
  • Saraipalli : 90-100 km from Raigarh and Champa. A major Tehsil in Mahasamund district.
  • Pithora : 90-100 km from Dhamtari, Mahasamand, and 60 km from Saraipali. A major Tehsil in Mahasamund district. Proposed to be carved out from Mahasamund district, a demand for a separate administrative unit has been raised by local public representatives and political parties.

West-Central Chhattisgarh

This region covers the Durg and Raipur Divisions on the western side, often bordering Madhya Pradesh.
  • Kothitola : Proposed to bring development to remotest Naxal areas and immediately develop the Pendrideed-Kothitola-Sakhritola Highway.
  • Badna-Kukdur : Proposed to bring development to Naxal areas and develop the Kukdur-Badna-Motinala Highway.
  • Gudru-Semara : Remote Naxal area. Bhatapara, for which demand exists for making a separate district headquarters or administrative entity, will be better suited to become a subdivision of Gudru-Semara-Bhatapara with Gudru as district HQ for the district and Bhatapara as subdivisional HQ to better serves the bigger purpose of holistic development of remotest aspirant and LWE areas.

South Chhattisgarh

This region covers the entire Bastar Division, which is heavily LWE-affected.
  • Kakreli : Proposed for administrative ease in a remote area. Amdikanda of Narayanpur for which demands have been raised for carving out a new district to improve accessibility to services, would be ideal to become subdivision of Kakreli as Kakreli is better serves the bigger purpose of holistic development of remotest aspirant and LWE areas.
  • Pakhanjur : Major town/Nagar Panchayat in the northern Bastar region, currently in Kanker district.
  • Bhanupartappur : Located on SH6 in a Naxal-affected area. Already a major administrative block/Vidhan Sabha constituency.
  • Bhopalpatnam : Located at the tri-state border. Proposed for a joint development effort with Bhadrakali, Somnoor Navin, and Palmala, with 33% cost share by all three states.
  • Puwarti : Located in the core Naxal area, split from two of the most LWE-affected districts.
  • Konta : Major Tehsil in the core LWE zone of Sukma district.