Andhra Pradesh cabinet clears creation of 13 more districts

With the creation of new districts, Andhra Pradesh now has a total of 26 districts, the first such division in decades.

The Andhra Pradesh government has revised the number of districts in the state, increasing it from the existing 13 to 26. Issuing a gazette notification on Tuesday, the state government gave a nod for the creation of 13 new districts, the process of which is expected to be completed by Telugu New Year in April.

Indian fishermen load ice into a boat to be used for storing fish at Nizampatnam fishing harbor in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh. (AP Photo for Representation)

As many as 24 Lok Sabha constituencies are being converted into districts, including the Araku Lok Sabha constituency in Visakhapatnam which will be divided into two districts.

The new districts include Manyam district, Alluri Sitharama Raju district, Anakapalli, Kakinada, Kona Seema, Eluru, NTR district, Bapatia, Palnadu, Nandyal, Sri Satyasai district, Annamayya district, Sri Balaji district.

Here's the full list:

The last time a new district was formed in undivided Andhra Pradesh was in 1979, with the constitution of Vizianagram district.

The cabinet decision came late Tuesday following which planning secretary GSRKR Vijaykumar handed over the recommendations to chief secretary Sameer Sharma. The notification was issued subsequently to be released in all districts.