Districts of Karnataka

Karnataka state comprises 29 districts, grouped into four divisions.

A district of an Indian state is an administrative geographical unit, headed by a Deputy Commissioner or District Magistrate, an officer belonging to the Indian Administrative Service. The district magistrate or the deputy commissioner is assisted by a number of officers belonging to Karnataka Civil Service and other Karnataka state services.

A Superintendent of Police (India), usually an officer belonging to the Indian Police Service is entrusted with the responsibility of maintaining law and order and related issues of the district. He is assisted by the officers of the Karnataka Police Service and other Karnataka Police officials. Cities like Bangalore, Mysore and Hubli-Dharwad are headed by a Commissioner of Police holding the rank of Additional Director General of Police(ADGP) or Inspector General of Police (IGP).

A Deputy Conservator of Forests, an officer belonging to the Indian Forest Service is responsible for managing the Forests, environment and wild-life related issues of the district. He is assisted by the officers of the Karnataka Forest Service and other Karnataka Forest officials and Karnataka Wild-Life officials.

Sectoral development is looked after by the district head of each development department such as PWD, Health, Education, Agriculture, Animal husbandry, etc. These officers belong to the various State Services

Population is from the 2001 Census of India, followed by the percentage increase in population, 1991-2001.

Divisions and Districts

Karnataka state (52,850,562, 17.25%)

* Bangalore Division
** Bangalore District (6,537,124, 34.80%)
** Bangalore Rural District (1,881,514, 12.21%)
** Chikballapur District - (?,?)
** Chitradurga District (1,517,896, 15.05%)
** Davanagere District (1,790,952, 14.78%)
** Kolar District (2,536,069, 13.83%)
** Ramanagara District - Created in 2007.
** Shimoga District (1,642,545, 12.90%)
** Tumkur District (2,584,711, 11.87%)

* Belgaum Division
** Bagalkot District (1,651,892, 18.84%)
** Belgaum District (4,214,505, 17.40%)
** Bijapur District (1,806,918, 17.63%)
** Dharwad District (1,604,253, 16.65%)
** Gadag District (971,835, 13.14%)
** Haveri District (1,439,116, 13.29%)
** Uttara Kannada District (1,353,644, 10.90%)

* Gulbarga Division
** Bellary District (2,027,140, 22.30%)
** Bidar District (1,502,373, 19.56%)
** Gulbarga District (3,130,922, 21.02%)
** Koppal District (1,196,089, 24.57%)
** Raichur District (1,669,762, 21.93%)

* Mysore Division
** Chamarajanagar District (965,462, 9.16%)
** Chikmagalur District (1,140,905, 11.98%)
** Dakshina Kannada District (1,897,730, 14.51%)
** Hassan District (1,721,669, 9.66%)
** Kodagu District (548,561, 11.64%)
** Mandya District (1,763,705, 7.14%)
** Mysore District (2,641,027, 15.04%)
** Udupi District (1,112,243, 6.88%)

District History

Karnataka took its present shape in 1956, when the states of Mysore and Coorg (Kodagu) were merged with the Kannada-speaking districts of the former states of Bombay and Hyderabad, and Madras. Mysore state was made up of ten districts, Bangalore, Kolar, Tumkur, Mandya, Mysore, Hassan, Chikmagalur (Kadur), Shimoga and Chitradurga; Bellary had been transferred from Madras state to Mysore in 1953, when the new state of Andhra Pradesh was created out of Madras' northern districts. Kodagu became a district, and Dakshina Kannada (South Kanara) district was transferred from Madras state, North Kanara, Dharwad District, Belgaum District, and Bijapur District from Bombay state, and Bidar, Gulbarga District, and Raichur district from Hyderabad state.

In 1989, Bangalore Rural district was split from Bangalore. and in 1997 Bagalkot district split from Bijapur, Chamrajnagar district split from Mysore, Gadag district split from Dharwad, Haveri district split from Dharwad, Koppal district split from Raichur, Udupi district split from Dakshina Kannada, and Davanagere district was created from parts of Bellary, Chitradurga, Dharwad, and Shimoga.

On June 21 2007 the Government announced the cabinet approval for the creation of two more districts: Ramanagara District and Chikballapur district. Ramanagara District and Chikballapura District are being formed by the bifurcation of Kolar District and Bangalore Rural Districts respectively. The new districts have been officially notified by the Karnataka Government, thereby making the number of districts in Karnataka to 29.cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2_new_districts_notified_in_Bangalore/articleshow/2258093.cms|title=2 new districts notified in Bangalore|work=Online Edition of The Times of India, dated 2007-08-06|accessdate=2007-08-09]

References

External links

* [http://envstudies.brown.edu/thesis/2000/undergrad/creid/map_of_districts.htm Map of Karnataka Districts]