Bastar Division

Bastar division is an administrative division of

Chhattisgarh Chhattisgarh (, ) is a landlocked state in Central India. It is the ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the seventeenth most populous. It borders seven states – Uttar Pradesh to the north, Madhya Prade ...

state in central

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. It includes the districts of Bastar,

Dantewada Dantewada (also known as Dantewara) is a town and a municipality, or nagar palika. in the Dantewada district in the state of Chhattisgarh, India.It is the administrative headquarters of Dantewada District. It is the fourth largest city of Bastar ...

Bijapur Bijapur, officially known as Vijayapura, is the district headquarters of Bijapur district of the Karnataka state of India. It is also the headquarters for Bijapur Taluk. Bijapur city is well known for its historical monuments of architectural ...

, Narayanpur, Sukma,

Kondagaon Kondagaon a municipality about 70 kilometers from Jagdalpur city is the headquarter of Kondagaon district in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. It is the third largest city of Bastar division. Kondagaon separated from Bastar district on 24 J ...

and Kanker. Bastar Division was created in 1999, when the larger Bastar District was divided into the present-day districts of Jagdalpur, Dantewada, and Kanker. In 2000 the division became part of the newly created state of

. Later in 2007,

and Narayanpur districts were also divided, and Sukma and

in 2012. The present Divisional Commissioner is Mr. Shyam Dhawade (IAS). Bastar is the southernmost region in the state of Chhattisgarh. It is a forested mineral rich region with a population of 2.5 million people and a rich cultural heritage. Spread over a geographical area 39,117 km², it is divided into seven administrative districts: Kanker, Narayanpur, Kondagaon, Bijapur, Dantewada, Jagdalpur and Sukma. An estimated 19, 98, 987 voters live in the Bastar Lok Sabha (parliamentary) constituency and an estimated 16, 39, 249 voters live in the Kanker Lok Sabha (parliamentary) constituency. There were 12 Member of Legislative assembly constituency seats, in Bastar Division, Jagdalpur City, Bastar (Jagdalpur rural), Chitrakot (Jagdalpur west), Dantewada, Konta, Bijapur, Kondagaun, Narayanpur, Kanker, Bhanupratappur, Antagarh and Keshkal. In recent times, the area has become the hub of Naxal or Left Wing Extremism (LWE) related conflict. Government statistics highlight the disproportionate number of incidents of violence and deaths in this area. The latest census of India (2011) indicates declining population trend in the LWE districts in Bastar. Some of the most vulnerable population groups in India live in Bastar. The area is home to a number of different tribal groups (Scheduled tribes) and a variety of languages and dialects are spoken locally. Human developmental shortfalls among these groups has given rise to left-wing extremism in the region. Local agriculture, animal husbandry and forest based livelihood systems as well as weekly markets and transport networks have been disrupted by prolonged conflict. In a region where standard human development indicators were relatively low to begin with, widespread absence and worsening access to healthcare, education, drinking water, sanitation and food is creating an alarming situation. Availability of state functionaries responsible for delivering these basic minimum services in the conflict affected areas is also very low. Not surprisingly the health and nutrition indicators of all the districts are well below the state average. Divisions of Chhattisgarh {{Unreferenced stub, auto=yes, date=December 2009