List of districts of Chhattisgarh

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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.^[1]

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.^{[citation needed]}

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.^{[citation needed]}

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.^{[citation needed]}

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.^{[citation needed]}

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.^{[citation needed]}

2000: Chhattisgarh as new state

On 1st November 2000, these 16 districts were split from Madhya Pradesh to form the new state of Chhattisgarh.^[2]

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.^[1]

On 1st January 2012, the Chhattisgarh government announced 9 new districts, for a total of 27,^[3] including newly created Sukma, Kondagaon, Balod, Bemetara, Baloda Bazar, Gariaband, Mungeli, Surajpur and Balrampur districts.^[4]

On 15th August 2019, the Chhattisgarh chief minister announced the creation of Chhattisgarh's 28th district, Gaurela-Pendra-Marwahi,^[3] which was formally inaugurated on 10 February 2020 as the new district.^[5]

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,^[6] Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai on 3 September 2022^[7]

Regions and divisions

Chhattisgarh has 3 geographical regions:

North - Northern Hills Region: covered by Surguja division (HQ at Ambikapur).

Centre - Chhattisgarh Plains: covered by Durg, Raipur, Bilaspur divisions (each with eponymous HQ city).

South - Bastar Plateau: covered by Bastar division (HQ at Jagdalpur).

Existing districts of Chhattisgarh

Alphabetical list of districts

Chhattisgarh consists of 33 districts.^[4]^[8]^[9]^[10]^[11]^[12]^[13]^[14]

S.No	Code	District	Headquarters	Population (2011)^[15]	Area (km²)^[16]	Density (/km²)	Official website
1		Balod	Balod	826,165	3,527.00	234	http://balod.gov.in/
2		Baloda Bazar-Bhatapara	Baloda Bazar	1,078,911	3,733.87	290	https://balodabazar.gov.in/
3		Balrampur	Balrampur	730,491	6,016.34	100	http://balrampur.gov.in/
4	BA	Bastar	Jagdalpur	834,873	6,596.90	213	http://bastar.gov.in/
5		Bemetara	Bemetara	795,759	2,854.81	279	http://bemetara.gov.in/
6		Bijapur	Bijapur	255,230	6,552.96	39	http://bijapur.gov.in/
7	BI	Bilaspur	Bilaspur	1,625,502	3,511.10	463	http://bilaspur.gov.in/
8	DA	Dantewada	Dantewada	283,479	3,410.50	83	http://dantewada.gov.in/
9	DH	Dhamtari	Dhamtari	799,781	4,081.93	196	http://dhamtari.gov.in/
10	DU	Durg	Durg	1,721,948	2,319.99	742	http://durg.gov.in/
11	GB	Gariaband	Gariaband	597,653	5,854.94	103	http://gariaband.gov.in/
12	GPM	Gaurella-Pendra-Marwahi	Gaurella	336,420	2,307.39	166	https://gaurela-pendra-marwahi.cg.gov.in/
13	JC	Janjgir-Champa	Janjgir	972,453	2375.59	360	http://janjgir-champa.gov.in/
14	JA	Jashpur	Jashpur	851,669	6,457.41	132	https://jashpur.nic.in/en/
15	KW	Kabirdham	Kawardha	822,526	4,447.05	185	http://kawardha.gov.in/
16	KK	Kanker	Kanker	748,941	6,432.68	117	http://kanker.gov.in/
17		Kondagaon	Kondagaon	578,326	6,050.73	96	http://kondagaon.gov.in/
18	KCG	Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai	Khairagarh	368,444	1553.84	-	https://s351ef186e18dc00c2d31982567235c559.s3waas.gov.in/hi/
19	KB	Korba	Korba	1,206,640	7,145.44	169	http://korba.gov.in/
20	KJ	Koriya	Baikunthpur	247,427	2001.779	37	http://korea.gov.in/
21	MA	Mahasamund	Mahasamund	1,032,754	4,963.01	208	http://mahasamund.gov.in/
22	MCB	Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur	Manendragarh	376000	4226	-	https://manendragarh-chirmiri-bharatpur.cg.gov.in/en/
23	MM	Mohla-Manpur- Ambagarh Chowki	Mohla	283,947	2145.29	-	https://mohla-manpur-ambagarhchowki.cg.gov.in/en/
24		Mungeli	Mungeli	701,707	2,750.36	255	http://mungeli.gov.in
25		Narayanpur	Narayanpur	139,820	6,922.68	20	http://narayanpur.gov.in/
26	RG	Raigarh	Raigarh	1,112,982	6527.44	-	http://raigarh.gov.in/
27	RP	Raipur	Raipur	2,160,876	2,914.37	742	http://raipur.gov.in/
28	RN	Rajnandgaon	Rajnandgaon	884,742	8,070	110	http://rajnandgaon.gov.in/
29	SB	Sarangarh-Bilaigarh	Sarangarh	607,434	1650.14	-	https://sarangarh-bilaigarh.cg.gov.in/
30	Skt	Sakti	Sakti	653,036	1600.88	-	https://sakti.cg.gov.in/
31	SK	Sukma	Sukma	250,159	5,767.02	43	https://sukma.gov.in/
32	SJ	Surajpur	Surajpur	789,043	4,998.26	158	http://surajpur.gov.in/
33	SU	Surguja	Ambikapur	840,352	5,019.80	167	http://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 (HQ: Amikapur)

Central Chhattisgarh:

- North-Central Chhattisgarh: Bilaspur Division (HQ: Bilaspur)

- East-Central Raipur Division (HQ: Raipur, also the state capital)

- West-Central Chhattisgarh: Durg Division (HQ: Durg)

South Chhattisgarh
- Bastar Division (HQ: Jagdalpur)

List of districts with their major cities

S.No	District	Headquarter	Largest City	Other Major Cities or Towns
1	Raipur	Raipur	Raipur	Naya Raipur, Sarona, Tatibandh, Nardaha, Ama Seoni, Kendri, Mana, Mana Camp, Sejbahar, Saddu, Daldal Seoni, Mowa, Kharora, Arang, Dharsiwa, Siltara, Birgaon, Tilda
2	Bilaspur	Bilaspur	Bilaspur	Kota (Kargi Road), Ratanpur, Takhatpur, Masturi, Bilha, Beltara
3	Durg	Durg	Bhilai	Charoda, Kumhari, Utai, Anda, Dhamdha, Patan,Risali, Ahiwara, Supela, Jamul, Rasmara, Baghera
4	Korba	Korba	Korba	Katghora, Pali, Dipka
5	Raigarh	Raigarh	Raigarh	Kharsia, Gharghora, Dharamjaigarh
6	Rajnandgaon	Rajnandgaon	Rajnandgaon	Dongargarh, Dongargaon
7	Koriya	Baikunthpur	Baikunthpur	Sonhat, Patna, Churcha
8	Surguja	Ambikapur	Ambikapur	Sitapur
9	Balrampur	Balrampur	Ramanujganj
10	Jashpur	Jashpur-Nagar	Jashpur-Nagar	Kunkuri, Patthalgaon
11	Surajpur	Surajpur	Surajpur	Bishrampur, Bhatgaon, Pratappur, Prem Nagar, Ramanuj Nagar, Bhaiyathan, Odagi
12	Janjgir–Champa	Janjgir	Champa	Janjgir, Akaltara
13	Mungeli	Mungeli	Mungeli	Lormi, Sargaon, Pathariya
14	Kabirdham	Kawardha	Kawardha	Pandariya, Pandatarai
15	Bemetara	Bemetara	Bemetara	Saja, Berla, Navagarh, Deokar
16	Balod	Balod	Balod	Dalli-Rajhara, Dondi Lohara, Dondi
17	Baloda Bazar-Bhatapara	Baloda Bazar	Bhatapara	Balodabazar, Bhatapara, Kasdol, Simga, Palari, Bilaigarh
18	Gariaband	Gariaband	Gariaband	Fingeshwar, Chhura, Gariaband, Deobhog, Mainpur
19	Mahasamund district	Mahasamund	Mahasamund	Saraipali, Basna, Pithoura, Mahasamund, Bagbahra
20	Dhamtari	Dhamtari	Dhamtari	Kurud, Nagri
21	Bijapur	Bijapur	Bijapur
22	Narayanpur	Narayanpur	Narayanpur
23	North Bastar	Kanker	Kanker	Bhanupratapur
24	Bastar	Jagdalpur	Jagdalpur	Bastar
25	South Bastar	Dantewada	Dantewada
26	Kondagaon	Kondagaon	Kondagaon
27	Sukma	Sukma	Sukma	Konta
28	Gaurella-Pendra-Marwahi	Gaurella	Gaurella, Pendra, Marwahi	Pendra, Pendraroad
29	Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur	Manendragarh	Chirmiri	Manendragarh, Khongapani
30	Khairagarh-Chhuikhadan-Gandai	Khairagarh	Khairagarh	Chhuikhadan
31	Sakti	Sakti	Sakti	Baradwar, Malkharoda, Jaijaipur, Dabhra, Chandrapur, Hasaud, Adbhar, Bhothiya
32	Mohla-Manpur-Ambagarh Chowki	Mohla	Ambagarh Chowki	Manpur
33	Sarangarh-Bilaigarh	Sarangarh	Sarangarh	Bilaigarh

Future: demands

Justification for demands

To bring the development for the least developed and to counter the LWE (left-wing extremism by Naxalite–Maoist insurgency) 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 (Bijapur, Kondagaon, Narayanpur, Sukma) 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 (Source 6.3). 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 (SCR), encompassing Raipur, Nava Raipur, Bhilai, and Durg, wih a unified regional development authority.^[17]

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 (relocate from Bhilai HQ): 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 (create new division from Bastar division) with HQ at either Bijapur or new district Puwarti.
- Benoor division (relocate Bastar division HQ to from Jagdalpur) 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 (Bharatpur-Kuari-Janakpur-cluster, from Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur): Located on SH8 near the remote MP border. Note: Bharatpur is already a subdivision of the recently created Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur district.

Sanawal (from Balrampur-Ramanujganj): 75km away from district HQ, in the remote border area (on Renukoot-Bagharu-Sanawal-Ramjunganj Road).

Kusmi (from Balrampur): Half-way or 75 km in remote hilly area between Balrampur-Jashpur Nagar (140km).

North-Central Chhattisgarh

This region encompasses the northern and eastern parts of the Bilaspur Division.

Dharamjaigarh (from Raigarh, Jashpur, Ambikapur, etc.): 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.^[18]

Pamsala (from Dharamjaigarh, Jashpur, Ambikapur, Raigarh, etc.): 90-100 km from surrounding district centers.

Chotiya-Parla (central location among nearby districts): 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 (from Mahasamund): 90-100 km from Raigarh and Champa. A major Tehsil in Mahasamund district.

Pithora (from Dhamtari, Mahasamand): 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.^[19]

West-Central Chhattisgarh

This region covers the Durg and Raipur Divisions on the western side, often bordering Madhya Pradesh (MP).

Kothitola (from Rajnandgaon): Proposed to bring development to remotest Naxal areas and immediately develop the Pendrideed-Kothitola-Sakhritola Highway.

Badna-Kukdur (from Kabirdham): Proposed to bring development to Naxal areas and develop the Kukdur-Badna-Motinala Highway.

Gudru-Semara (Gudru HQ on river bank): Remote Naxal area. Bhatapara, for which demand exists for making a separate district headquarters or administrative entity,^[20] 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 (from Bijapur): 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,^[21] 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 (from Narayanpur-Mohla): Major town/Nagar Panchayat in the northern Bastar region, currently in Kanker district.

Bhanupartappur (from Kanker): Located on SH6 (State Highway 6) in a Naxal-affected area. Already a major administrative block/Vidhan Sabha constituency (Source 10.1, 10.2).

Bhopalpatnam (from Bijapur): Located at the tri-state border. Proposed for a joint development effort with Bhadrakali (Chhattisgarh), Somnoor Navin (Maharashtra), and Palmala (Telangana), with 33% cost share by all three states.

Puwarti (from Bijapur-Sukma): Located in the core Naxal area, split from two of the most LWE-affected districts (Source 2.1).

Konta (from Sukma): Major Tehsil in the core LWE zone of Sukma district (Source 1.2).

References

^ ^a ^b "2 new districts formed in Chhattisgarh". 12 May 2007.
^ Creation of Chhattisgarh Government of Chhattisgarh.
^ ^a ^b "I-day: OBC quota to go up in C'garh; new district announced". Business Standard. PTI. 15 August 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
^ ^a ^b Anita (2 January 2012). "Chhattisgarh gets New Year gift - 9 new districts!". Oneindia. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
^ "Bhupesh Baghel inaugurates Gaurela-Pendra-Marwahi as Chhattisgarh's 28th district". India Today. Press Trust of India. 11 February 2020. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
^ "Chhattisgarh CM announces four new districts, 18 tehsils on Independence Day". The New Indian Express. Express News Service. 15 August 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
^ "छत्तीसगढ़ का 33वां जिला होगा खैरागढ़-छुईखदान-गंडई, CM भूपेश ने जीत के 3 घंटे बाद ही पूरा किया चुनावी वादा". Hindustan (in Hindi). Retrieved 17 April 2022.
^ "Electoral rolls". Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Chhattisgarh. Archived from the original on 5 March 2012.
^ Chhattisgarh at a glance-2002 Archived 2012-04-04 at the Wayback Machine Govt. of Chhattisgarh official website.
^ List of Chhattisgarh District Centres Archived 2012-02-20 at the Wayback Machine at'NIC, Chhattisgarh official Portal
^ Mathew, K.M. (ed.). Manorama Yearbook 2008, Kottayam: Malayala Manorama, ISSN 0542-5778, p.518
^ "Gaurela-Pendra-Marwahi to become Chhattisgarh's 28th district on February 10". The New Indian Express. Express News Service. 31 December 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
^ "Gaurela-Pendra-Marwahi inaugurated as C'garh's 28th district". Business Standard. Press Trust of India. 10 February 2020. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
^ Ravish Pal Singh (15 August 2021). "Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel announces 4 new districts, 18 tehsils". India Today. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
^ "SOCIO ECONOMIC INDICATOR 2015 - District wise Population, page no.- 06" (PDF). descg.gov.in.
^ "Socio Economic Indicator 2015(District-wise Area, page no. 04)" (PDF). descg.gov.in.
^ "Chhattisgarh's Big Leap: BJP Government to Launch State Capital Region (SCR) for Integrated Urban Growth and Investment Boost". Indian Masterminds. 26 October 2025. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
^ "Dharamjaigarh district creation proposal under consideration", Patrika, 2024-03-15. Accessed 2024-11-08.
^ "Pithora demands district status: CM Baghel's promise lingers", Times of India, 2023-11-20. Accessed 2024-11-08.
^ "Demand for separate district for Bhatapara: Local MLA leads agitation", Dainik Bhaskar, 2023-12-05. Accessed 2024-11-08.
^ "Tribal body urges CM to carve out Amdikanda district from Narayanpur", The New Indian Express, 2023-09-08. Accessed 2024-11-08.

External links

Districts of Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh Photos, Videos, Maps and Tourism
List of Chhattisgarh District Centres at Chhattisgarh Official Portal.
List of District official websites

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.^[1]

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.