List of districts of Maharashtra
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Maharashtra is an Indian state that was formed on 1 May 1960 with 26 initial districts. Since then, 10 additional districts have been created, the most recent of which is Palghar district. The state currently has 36 districts. These districts are grouped into six administrative divisions shown below.
All divisions in Maharashtra
Maharashtra is divided into 36 districts, which are grouped into six divisions.[1]
Regions
Geographically, historically, politically, and according to cultural sentiments, Maharashtra has five main regions:
- Konkan (Konkan division)
- Paschim Maharashtra, also known as Desh (Pune division)
- North Maharashtra (Nashik Division) - contains Khandesh[a]
- Marathwada (Aurangabad division)
- Vidarbha (Nagpur and Amravati divisions) - formerly Central Provinces and Berar[b]
Divisions
| Name of division (headquarters) | Region | Districts | Largest city |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pune division (HQ: Pune) | Desh | Pune | |
| Amravati division (HQ: Amravati) | Vidarbha (Varhad) | Amravati | |
| Aurangabad division (HQ: Aurangabad) |
Marathwada | Aurangabad | |
| Nagpur division (HQ: Nagpur) | Vidarbha | Nagpur | |
| Nashik division (HQ: Nashik) | North Maharashtra (Khandesh) | Nashik | |
| Konkan division (HQ: Mumbai) | Konkan | Mumbai |
- Nashik and Ahmednagar districts do not culturally belong to Khandesh region. Culturally, Nashik and Ahmednagar districts share a pattern called Gangathadi. North Maharashtra is the geographical region representing all four districts except Ahmednagar.
- Amravati division used to be a separate region of Central Provinces and Berar as Berar division, known as "Varhad" in Marathi, before becoming part of Vidarbha division of Maharashtra.
Districts
The table below lists important geographic and demographic parameters for all 36 districts. Population data are extracted from the 2011 Census of India.
| No | Name | Code | Formed | Headquarters | Administrative division | Area (km2) | Population (2011 Census) | % of state Population | Density (per km2) | Urban (%) | Literacy (%) | Sex ratio | Tehsils | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ahmednagar | AH | 1 May 1960 | Ahmednagar | Nashik | 17,048 | 4,543,159 | 4.04% | 234.77 | 19.67 | 79.05 | 941 | 14 | district website |
| 2 | Akola | AK | 1 May 1960 | Akola | Amravati | 5,428 | 1,813,906 | 1.61% | 300.78 | 53.23 | 88.05 | 938 | 7 | district website |
| 3 | Amravati | AM | 1 May 1960 | Amravati | Amravati | 12,235 | 2,888,445 | 2.57% | 206.40 | 34.50 | 87.38 | 838 | 14 | district website |
| 4 | Aurangabad | AU | 1 May 1960 | Aurangabad | Aurangabad | 10,100 | 3,701,282 | 3.29% | 286.83 | 37.53 | 79.08 | 924 | 9 | district website |
| 5 | Beed | BI | 1 May 1960 | Beed | Aurangabad | 10,693 | 1,200,334 | 1.07% | 207.04 | 17.91 | 76.99 | 936 | 11 | district website |
| 6 | Bhandara | BH | 1 May 1960 | Bhandara | Nagpur | 3,717 | 2,585,049 | 2.30% | 305.58 | 15.44 | 83.76 | 982 | 7 | district website |
| 7 | Buldhana | BU | 1 May 1960 | Buldhana | Amravati | 9,661 | 2,586,258 | 2.30% | 230.63 | 21.2 | 83.40 | 946 | 13 | district website |
| 8 | Chandrapur | CH | 1 May 1960 | Chandrapur | Nagpur | 11,443 | 2,204,307 | 1.96% | 193.65 | 32.11 | 80.01 | 948 | 15 | district website |
| 9 | Dhule | DH | 1 May 1960 | Dhule | Nashik | 7,195 | 2,050,862 | 1.83% | 211.83 | 26.11 | 72.80 | 944 | 4 | district website |
| 10 | Gadchiroli | GA | 26 August 1982 | Gadchiroli | Nagpur | 14,412 | 1,072,942 | 0.95% | 67.33 | 6.93 | 74.36 | 976 | 12 | district website |
| 11 | Gondia | GO | 1 May 1999 | Gondia | Nagpur | 5,234 | 1,322,507 | 1.18% | 247.81 | 11.95 | 84.95 | 1005 | 8 | district website |
| 12 | Hingoli | HI | 1 May 1999 | Hingoli | Aurangabad | 4,526 | 1,177,345 | 1.05% | 218.11 | 15.2 | 78.17 | 953 | 5 | district website |
| 13 | Jalgaon | JG | 1 May 1960 | Jalgaon | Nashik | 11,765 | 4,229,917 | 3.76% | 312.79 | 71.4 | 78.20 | 932 | 15 | district website |
| 14 | Jalna | JN | 1 May 1981 | Jalna | Aurangabad | 7,687 | 1,959,046 | 1.74% | 211.82 | 19.09 | 71.52 | 952 | 8 | district website |
| 15 | Kolhapur | KO | 1 May 1960 | Kolhapur | Pune | 7,685 | 3,876,001 | 3.45% | 457.44 | 29.65 | 81.51 | 949 | 12 | district website |
| 16 | Latur | LA | 16 August 1982 | Latur | Aurangabad | 7,157 | 2,454,196 | 2.18% | 282.19 | 23.57 | 77.26 | 935 | 10 | district website |
| 17 | Mumbai City | MC | 1 May 1960 | Mumbai | Konkan | 157 | 3,085,411 | 2.75% | 49,140.9 | 100 | 89.21 | 777 | 0 | district website |
| 18 | Mumbai Suburban | MU | 1 October 1990 | Bandra | Konkan | 446 | 9,356,962 | 8.33% | 23,271 | 100 | 89.91 | 822 | 3 | district website |
| 19 | Nagpur | NG | 1 May 1960 | Nagpur | Nagpur | 9,892 | 4,653,570 | 4.14% | 409.36 | 64.33 | 88.39 | 933 | 14 | district website |
| 20 | Nanded | ND | 1 May 1960 | Nanded | Aurangabad | 10,528 | 3,361,292 | 2.99% | 275.98 | 28.29 | 75.45 | 942 | 16 | district website |
| 21 | Nandurbar | NB | 1 July 1998 | Nandurbar | Nashik | 5,955 | 1,648,295 | 1.47% | 260 | 15.5 | 64.38 | 975 | 6 | district website |
| 22 | Nashik | NS | 1 May 1960 | Nashik | Nashik | 15,582 | 6,107,187 | 5.43% | 321.56 | 38.8 | 82.31 | 927 | 15 | district website |
| 23 | Osmanabad | OS | 1 May 1960 | Osmanabad | Aurangabad | 7,569 | 1,657,576 | 1.48% | 197.89 | 17.0 | 78.44 | 924 | 8 | district website |
| 24 | Palghar | PL | 1 August 2014 | Palghar | Konkan | 5,344 | 2,990,116 | 2.66% | 562 | 50 | N.A. | 900 | 8 | district website |
| 25 | Parbhani | PA | 1 May 1960 | Parbhani | Aurangabad | 6,251 | 1,836,086 | 1.63% | 244.4 | 31.8 | 73.34 | 958 | 9 | district website |
| 26 | Pune | PU | 1 May 1960 | Pune | Pune | 15,643 | 9,429,408 | 8.39% | 461.85 | 58.1 | 86.15 | 919 | 14 | district website |
| 27 | Raigad | RG | 1 May 1960 | Alibag | Konkan | 7,152 | 2,634,200 | 2.34% | 308.89 | 24.2 | 83.14 | 976 | 15 | district website |
| 28 | Ratnagiri | RT | 1 May 1960 | Ratnagiri | Konkan | 8,208 | 1,615,069 | 1.44% | 206.72 | 11.3 | 82.18 | 1,136 | 9 | district website |
| 29 | Sangli | SN | 1 May 1960 | Sangli | Pune | 8,578 | 2,822,143 | 2.51% | 301.18 | 24.5 | 81.48 | 957 | 10 | district website |
| 30 | Satara | ST | 1 May 1960 | Satara | Pune | 10,480 | 3,003,741 | 2.67% | 266.77 | 14.2 | 82.87 | 995 | 11 | district website |
| 31 | Sindhudurg | SI | 1 May 1981 | Oros | Konkan | 5,207 | 849,651 | 0.76% | 166.86 | 9.5 | 85.56 | 1,079 | 8 | district website |
| 32 | Solapur | SO | 1 May 1960 | Solapur | Pune | 14,895 | 4,317,756 | 3.84% | 259.32 | 31.8 | 77.02 | 935 | 11 | district website |
| 33 | Thane | TH | 1 May 1960 | Thane | Konkan | 4,214 | 8,070,032 | 7.18% | 850.71 | 72.58 | 84.53 | 858 | 7 | district website |
| 34 | Wardha | WR | 1 May 1960 | Wardha | Nagpur | 6,310 | 1,300,774 | 1.16% | 195.03 | 25.17 | 86.99 | 936 | 8 | district website |
| 35 | Washim | WS | 1 July 1998 | Washim | Amravati | 5,150 | 1,197,160 | 1.07% | 275.98 | 17.49 | 83.25 | 939 | 6 | district website |
| 36 | Yavatmal | YTL | 1 May 1960 | Yavatmal | Amravati | 13,582 | 2,772,348 | 2.47% | 152.93 | 18.6 | 82.82 | 951 | 16 | district website |
| Maharashtra | - | - | - | - | - | 307,129 | 112,374,333 | 100% | 314.42 | 42.43 | 77.27 | 922 | - | - |
Proposals for new districts
Demands for the administrative bifurcation and reorganization of existing districts in Maharashtra are driven by the challenges of governing extensive geographical territories and managing high-density urban populations. In 2015, public representatives and former ministers formally petitioned for the creation of several districts to support rural and tribal blocks, including Katol, Chimur, Pusad, Khamgaon, Achalpur, and Aheri.[2]
Subsequently, in 2018, the state government under then Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis constituted a high-level committee led by the Chief Secretary to systematically evaluate these needs. The committee submitted a structural proposal to create 22 new districts across the state to streamline public utility delivery and optimize regional governance.[3][4][5]
| Proposed District | Expected Area of Jurisdiction | Rationale / Status |
|---|---|---|
| Proposed from Ahmednagar | ||
| Sangamner | Northwestern blocks of Ahmednagar district. | Included in the 2018 restructuring committee report to optimize administrative focus in the northwestern upper valley area.[3] |
| Shirdi | Northern transit and pilgrim tracts of the district. | Proposed to establish dedicated administrative machinery for handling heavy religious tourism and commercial infrastructure.[3] |
| Shrirampur | Central-northern agricultural and manufacturing blocks. | Part of a long-standing proposal to split the expansive territory of Ahmednagar district into more manageable units.[3] |
| Proposed from Amravati | ||
| Achalpur | Northern sub-divisions bordering Madhya Pradesh. | Demanded by regional leaders in 2015 to bring public service access closer to populations in the northern sub-mountainous blocks. |
| Proposed from Beed | ||
| Ambajogai | Southeastern blocks of Beed district. | Recommended by the 2018 government committee to decentralize administrative delivery away from Beed city. |
| Proposed from Bhandara | ||
| Sakoli | Eastern and southern blocks of Bhandara. | Proposed to optimize local governance and focus on the distinct forestry and agrarian challenges of the eastern sectors. |
| Proposed from Buldhana | ||
| Khamgaon | Eastern commercial and industrial blocks of Buldhana. | Initially requested in 2015 to decouple the high-density market centers of the east from Buldhana town's administration. |
| Proposed from Chandrapur | ||
| Chimur | Northern mineral-rich and forest blocks of Chandrapur. | First formally proposed in 2015 to bridge the geographical and developmental gap for northern communities. |
| Proposed from Gadchiroli | ||
| Aheri | Expansive southern tribal and forest belt of Gadchiroli. | Highly localized demand aimed at establishing basic state utility presence in the extreme remote and left-wing extremism-affected southern blocks. |
| Proposed from Jalgaon | ||
| Bhusawal | Central-eastern urban and major railway junction zone. | Proposed to create a compact urban district centered around Bhusawal to manage high demographic density. |
| Proposed from Latur | ||
| Udgir | Eastern blocks bordering Karnataka and Telangana. | Evaluated by the 2018 panel to streamline border-area administration and reduce transit times for peripheral residents.[3] |
| Proposed from Nagpur | ||
| Katol | Western citrus-growing agricultural belt of Nagpur. | Demanded in 2015 to better serve the logistical and economic requirements of the agrarian rural blocks. |
| Parseoni | Northern industrial and mining blocks. | Included in the 2018 executive framework to accommodate rapid regional expansion north of Nagpur city. |
| Proposed from Nanded | ||
| Kinwat | Remote northern forest blocks bordering Telangana. | Proposed to improve infrastructure coordination and administrative oversight in isolated tribal tracts. |
| Proposed from Nashik | ||
| Kalwan | Northern tribal and agricultural blocks of Nashik. | Included in the 2018 committee recommendations to streamline development planning for northern hill communities.[3] |
| Malegaon | High-density textile industrial center and northeastern blocks. | A long-standing regional proposal aimed at separating the major urban industrial ecosystem of Malegaon from Nashik's primary core.[3] |
| Proposed from Palghar | ||
| Jawhar | Inland tribal and mountainous sub-divisions of eastern Palghar. | Proposed to create a dedicated administrative unit for the interior blocks, which were left distant following Palghar's bifurcation from Thane. |
| Proposed from Pune | ||
| Shivneri | Northern blocks of Pune district, centered around Junnar. | Recommended by the 2018 panel to optimize historical tourism management and agrarian development in the north. |
| Baramati | Southeastern high-growth industrial and agricultural blocks. | Proposed to decouple the dense corporate, sugar-industrial, and educational hubs of the southeast from Pune city's executive infrastructure. |
| Proposed from Raigad | ||
| Mahad | Southern Konkan coastal and hilly tracts of Raigad. | Evaluated in the 2018 state plan to improve public access and mitigate heavy monsoon transport disruptions in the south.[4] |
| Proposed from Ratnagiri | ||
| Mandangad | Extreme northern blocks of Ratnagiri district. | Proposed to address geographical isolation caused by the rugged Konkan terrain, bringing district offices closer to remote residents. |
| Proposed from Satara | ||
| Mandesh | Eastern drought-prone arid blocks of Satara and adjacent boundaries. | Formulated to create a dedicated administrative focus toward managing irrigation, water security, and rural livelihood challenges. |
| Proposed from Thane | ||
| Mira Bhayandar | High-density municipal corporation area bordering Mumbai. | Part of the 2018 government plan to separate rapidly expanding satellite city infrastructure from suburban Thane's jurisdiction.[4] |
| Navi Mumbai | Planned metropolitan nodes along the harbor. | Demanded to consolidate the complex metropolitan urban infrastructure under a singular, localized district administration. |
| Kalyan | Urban-industrial municipal conglomerate of Kalyan-Dombivli and peripheral blocks. | Proposed to streamline heavy civic and industrial governance separate from Thane's central administrative loop.[4] |
| Proposed from Yavatmal | ||
| Pusad | Western blocks of Yavatmal district. | A long-standing regional demand re-evaluated in 2015 to optimize public services in the western agricultural belts. |