Gondia district


Gondia district is an administrative district in the state of Maharashtra in India. The district headquarters are located at Gondia. The district occupies an area of and has a population of 1,322,507, of which 17.08% were urban. Gondia district is located north eastern part of Maharashtra.
The district is part of the Nagpur Division. It is colloquially known as the "Rice City" due to its abundant rice production. Gondia is also known for the Navegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve, a major wildlife sanctuary in the Vidarbha region.

Geography

The district is situated in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. It is bordered by the Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh to the north, Rajnandgaon district of Chhattisgarh to the east, Gadchiroli district to the south, and Bhandara district to the west.
The Wainganga River is the most important river in the district, flowing towards the south. The district is rich in water bodies and dense forest cover, often referred to as the "Green Lung" of Vidarbha.

Climate

Gondia experiences extreme variations in temperature with very hot summers and very cold winters and has an average relative humidity of 62 percent. Average recorded rainfall is more than in each rainy season.
May is the hottest month, when daytime temperature averages 42°C, whereas the night temperature remains around 28 °C. In recent times, the highest-recorded temperature in May has been, and the lowest May temperature has been.
The coolest months are December and January when temperatures reach highs of around and lows of. The highest-recorded temperature in January was and the lowest was.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census, Gondia district has a population of 1,322,507, roughly equal to the nation of Mauritius or the US state of New Hampshire. This gives it a ranking of 369th in India. The district has a population density of. Its population growth rate during 2001–2011 was 10.13%. Gondia has a sex ratio of 996 females for every 1,000 males, and a literacy rate of 85.41%. 17.08% of the population live in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 13.31% and 16.20% of the population respectively.

Languages

At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 73.31% of the population in the district spoke Marathi, 10.06% Hindi, 4.70% Powari, 3.45% Gondi, 2.60% Lodhi and 1.79% Chhattisgarhi as their first language. 1.48% of the population recorded their language as 'Others' under Hindi.

Government and politics

Members of Parliament

Prashant Yadaorao Padole represents Indian National Congress for the Bhandara-Gondiya constituency, while Namdeo Kirsan, also a member of Indian National Congress represents the Gadchiroli–Chimur constituency.

Guardian minister

Aditi Tatkare is the current Guardian Minister.
Following is a list of former guardian ministers:

Divisions

The district is divided into four sub-divisions, each of which is further divided into talukas. These are:
The district also includes 556 gram panchayats, 8 panchayat samitis, and 954 revenue villages. The eight municipalities in this district are Gondia, Tirora, Arjuni Morgaon, Deori, Amgaon, Goregaon, Sadak Arjuni, and Salekasa.
The district has four Vidhan Sabha constituencies: Arjuni Morgaon, Gondiya, Tirora and Amgaon. While the first three are part of Bhandara-Gondiya Lok Sabha constituency, the last one is part of Gadchiroli-Chimur Lok Sabha constituency.

Tourism

The district is a significant destination for wildlife tourism in the Vidarbha region.Navegaon-Nagzira Tiger Reserve: This reserve was notified as the 46th Tiger Reserve of India. It comprises Navegaon National Park and Nagzira Wildlife Sanctuary. It is a biodiversity hotspot home to tigers, leopards, sloth bears, and over 300 species of birds.

Transport

Rail

Gondia Junction railway station is a major railway hub located on the Howrah–Mumbai and New Delhi–Chennai trunk routes. It is an A-Grade station with lines diverging towards Balaghat-Jabalpur and Chandrapur.

Air

The district is served by Gondia Airport, located approximately 12 km from the city center. The airport is home to the National Flying Training Institute, a joint venture between the Airports Authority of India and CAE, which trains pilots.