The district of Gadchiroli came into existence on August 26, 1982 by carving it from the district of Chandrapur. Prior to it the district of Chandrapur had two tehsils under its administrative set up namely Gadchiroli and Sironcha.
The district is located in the North-Eastern side of Maharashtra and suffers mostly from Naxalite activities. The main reason is that the district is located on the borders of Andhra Pradesh and Chattisgarh where most of the area is forest and is used by Naxalite to protect themselves.
According to census of 2001, the total population of the district was 9,70,294 comprising of 4,91,101 males and 4,79,193 females. The literacy rate is quite satisfactory with 60.1% population is literate.
Even after 28 years of its existence the district is considered as tribal and vulnerable district from the development point of view. Most of the area is under forest and hills. According to an estimate 75.96% of the geographical area lies under forest. District is famous for the production of Bamboo and Tendu leaves. The major crop produced in the district is Paddy, apart from it the district also produces linseed, jowar, tur, and wheat. Agriculture is the main economic activity.
The district suffers from lack of industrial development. The only industry in the district is the paper mill at Ashti in Charmoshi Taluka and the paper pulp factory at Desaiganj. This has worsened the industrial development in the district.
There are seven languages spoken in the district i.e., Gondi, Madiya , Marathi, Hindi, Telugu, Bengali and Chattisgadi. The district is divided into three Sub-Divisions namely Gadchiroli, Aheri and Desaiganj respectively and each sub-division has four talukas. There are 467 Gram Panchayats and 1688 Revenue Villages. Apart from this the district has three Legislative Assembly Constituencies namely Gadchiroli, Armori and Sironcha. The district is divided into 12 talukas and 12 Panchayat Samitis.
The main river basin of the district is Godavari which covers the southern boundary of the district and flows from West to East. The major sub-basins of the Godavari are Pranhita which is named after the confluence of two major sub-basins ie Wainganga and Wardha River near Chaprala village of Chamorshi Taluka; and Indravati sub-basin.
The eastern part of district viz., , Dhanora, Etappali, Aheri and Sironcha talukas; are covered by the forest. Hills are located in the areas of Bhamaragad, Tipagad, Palasgad and Surjagad in the district.
Gadchhiroli at a Glance
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Geographical Area of District
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14412 Sq. K.M.
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Geographical Location
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18.43 to 21.50 North Latitudes,
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79.45 to 80.53 East Latitudes
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Temperature (1998)
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Min. 11.3 D.C. Max. 47.7 D.C.
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Average Rainfall (2009)
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892.9 m.m.
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No of Sub Divisions (3)
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1. Gadchiroli 2.Desaiganj (Wadsa) 3. Aheri
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No of Talukas
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12
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Villages in the District
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1679
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No. of Cities
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2 ( Gadchiroli, Desaiganj)
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No of Grampanchayats
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467
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Municipalities (2)
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1. Gadchiroli 2. Desaiganj
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Police Stations
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29
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Police Out Post
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15
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Population (2001)
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Total
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970294
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Male
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491101
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Female
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479193
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Density
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67 Per K.M.
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Female/Male Ratio
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976/1000
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Literacy (Census 2001)
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Total
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60.1 %
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Male
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71.9 %
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Female
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48.1 %
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Health
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Civil Hospital
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1
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Rural Hospitals
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13
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Primary Health Centres
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45
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Public Health Units
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36
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Net Cultivated Area(2000-2001)
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196649 Hect.
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Major Crops
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Paddy
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No. of Co-operative Societies(2008-09)
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926
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Education (2008-09)
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Primary Schools
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1618
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Students
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104227
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Teachers
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4885
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Secondary Schools
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321
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Students
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107430
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Teachers
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3354
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Senior Colleges
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45
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Students
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9187
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Technical Education(2008-09)
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Government I.T.I.
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12
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Private I.T.I.
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4
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Admission Capacity
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2808
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Polytechnic
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1
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Polytechnic Adm. Capacity
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240
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Vocational Colleges
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19
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Admission Capacity
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2658
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Road & Transport (2008-09)(Source-DSO)
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Rail Track
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18.46 K.M.
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Proposed National Highway
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56 K.M.
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Major State Highway
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367 K.M.
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State Highway/ Roads
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1772 K.M.
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Major District Roads
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1941 K.M.
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Other District Roads
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1744 K.M.
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Village Roads
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3132 K.M.
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Below Poverty Line (BPL) Families (2002-07)
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Total BPL Families
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112538
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SC Families
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18888
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ST Families
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42537
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No. of Electrified Villages & Cities
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1441
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No. of Tribal Ashram Schools (2008-09)
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101
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Student Capacity
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37215
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No. of Fair Price Shop (Working)
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1054
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Historical & Religious Places
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Markanda, Chaprala, Allapalli, Vairagad
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Forest Cover & It's Percentage
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1133009 Hec., 75.96 %
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Animal Husbandry (2003)
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Total Live Stock
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1072125
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Veterinary Dispensers
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90
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Veterinary Aid Centres
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44
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Mobile Veterinary Hospitals
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7
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District Polyclinic
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1
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Mini Polyclinic
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6
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Media
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Daily Newspapers
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2
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Weekly Newspaper
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18
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Connectivity: The town Gadchiroli is situated about 180 Kms away from Nagpur and 80 Kms away from Chandrapur of Vidarbha region. The district is well connected by roads with adjoining districts viz. Chandrapur, Bhandara & Nagpur. It takes around two hours journey from Chandrapur and 4 hours journey from Nagpur by State Transport Bus to reach Gadchiroli. Also, private luxury buses run from Nagpur and Chandrapur for Gadchiroli.
There is only one railway route of 18.48 Kms in the district which is spread from Bramhpuri (Chandrapur) to Wadsa (Gadchiroli).
For more information about Gadchiroli, explore here