13 new districts in Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh government inaugurated 13 new districts in the state. The state now has 26 districts, double the earlier number of 13.

Total districts in India: With this new development, there are now a total of 755 districts in the country.

According to the 2011 Census, there were 593 districts in the country.

The new districts

The new districts are: 1) Parvathipuram Manyam, 2) Anakapalli, 3) Alluri Seetharama Raju, 4) Kakinada, 5) Konaseema, 6) Eluru, 7) Palnadu, 8) Bapatla, 9) Nandyala, 10) Sri Sathya Sai, 11) Sri Balaji, 12) Annamaya, and 13) NTR.

The state has 25 Lok Sabha seats.

How a new district is created?

The power to create new districts or alter or abolish existing districts rests with the State governments.
This can either be done through an executive order or by passing a law in the State Assembly.
Many States prefer the executive route by simply issuing a notification in the official gazette.

Role of Centre

The Centre has no role to play in the alteration of districts or creation of new ones. States are free to decide.
The Home Ministry comes into the picture when a State wants to change the name of a district or a railway station.
The State government’s request is sent to other departments and agencies such as the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Intelligence Bureau, Department of Posts, Geographical Survey of India Sciences and the Railway Ministry seeking clearance.
A no-objection certificate may be issued after examining their replies.