Andhra Pradesh gets 13 new districts and a fresh map

In January, the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government had issued a draft notification to carve out 26 districts from the existing 13 and invited suggestions and objections.

Andhra Pradesh on Monday got a new map with the creation of 13 new districts, taking the number of total districts in the state to 26. Chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy launched 13 new districts via video conferencing at Tadepalli, in Guntur district.

Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy launches 13 new districts of the state via video conferencing at Tadepalli, Guntur district.(ANI)

Reddy-led YSR Congress government has reshuffled IAS and IPS officers and appointed collectors and superintendents of police to the newly created districts. The state government, in January, had issued a draft notification to carve out 26 districts from the existing 13 and invited suggestions and objections.

It had received 16,600 suggestions and objections from the public and the same were considered. Officials made recommendations after holding discussions with the people and public representatives.

Reddy, during the poll campaign for the 2019 assembly elections, promised that his party, if voted to power, would make every Lok Sabha constituency as a district.

The state has 25 Lok Sabha seats. One district was additionally created carving out the tribal areas in East Godavari and Visakhapatnam.

In a statement, the government said, “With the formation of smaller districts – distance from the district centre to remote and border villages will be reduced… District administration will come closer to the people… Increased accountability as the Government comes closer to people.”

It further said: “District Police Officers and all the other Government Departments including their camp offices will be in the same premises, thus doing away with the hassle of people travelling miles together for their work in different Government offices.”

The Andhra Pradesh government's ad in a newspaper

13 new districts of Andhra Pradesh:

• Manyam district carved out of Vizianagaram district

• Anakapalli district carved out of Visakhapatnam district

• Alluri Sitarama Raju carved out of Visakhapatnam district

• Kakinada carved out of East Godavari district

• Konaseema carved out of East Godavari district

• Eluru carved out of West Godavari district

• Palnadu carved out of Guntur district

• Bapatla carved out of Guntur district

• Nandyal carved out of Kurnool district

• Sri Satya Sai district carved out of Anantapur

• Sri Balaji carved out of Chittoor district

• Annamaya carved out of Kadapa district

• NT Rama Rao district carved out of the existing Krishna district.