Andhra Pradesh doubles its number of districts to 26
Fulfilling his party’s poll promise, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Monday formally launched 13 new districts in the state through video conferencing, taking the total number to 26.
The state government, in January, had issued a draft notification to carve out 26 districts from the existing 13 and invited suggestions and objections. According to a Hindustan Times report, the government had received 16,600 suggestions and objections from the public. The YSR Congress government has reshuffled IAS and IPS officers and appointed collectors and superintendents of police to the newly created districts.
Decentralisation at district level
Speaking on the occasion, Reddy said people have accepted and appreciated the decentralised form of government as schemes are directly delivered to their doorstep, and that the same is being extended to the districts now. “We have seen the development through decentralised administration in the form of village and ward secretariats. We are now decentralising at the district level as well. From now on, AP is a state with 26 districts. We have at least one parliamentary constituency per district,” Reddy said.
Reiterating that new districts are being created for the decentralisation and ease of administration, the Chief Minister said the formation of districts is very much needed for Andhra Pradesh which has a population of about five crore. Each district will now have six to eight assembly segments, except in one tribal district.
Fulfilling poll promise
Reddy, during the poll campaign for the 2019 Assembly elections, had promised that his party, if voted to power, would make every Lok Sabha constituency a district. The state has 25 Lok Sabha seats. One district was additionally created carving out the tribal areas in East Godavari and Visakhapatnam.
The new districts are: Manyam carved out of Vizianagaram district; Anakapalli and Alluri Sitarama Raju carved out of Visakhapatnam district; Kakinada and Konaseema carved out of East Godavari district; Eluru carved out of West Godavari district; Palnadu and Bapatla carved out of Guntur district; Nandyal carved out of Kurnool district; Sri Satya Sai carved out of Anantapur district; Sri Balaji carved out of Chittoor district; Annamaya carved out of Kadapa district; and, NT Rama Rao carved out of the existing Krishna district.
(With Agency inputs)
