Overview
Alluri Sitharama Raju district is a district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It was carved out as part of the reorganisation of districts in Andhra Pradesh that came into effect on 4 April 2022, when the state government restructured its administrative map to create 26 districts from the earlier 13. The district is named after Alluri Sitarama Raju, the early twentieth-century revolutionary who led the Rampa Rebellion of 1922–1924 against British colonial rule in the agency tracts of the region.
Key facts
| Name | Alluri Sitharama Raju district |
|---|---|
| State | Andhra Pradesh |
| Country | India |
| Formed | 4 April 2022 |
| Named after | Alluri Sitarama Raju |
| Headquarters | Paderu |
| Parent districts | Visakhapatnam, East Godavari |
Background
Before April 2022, the territory of Alluri Sitharama Raju district lay within the erstwhile Visakhapatnam and East Godavari districts, primarily comprising the agency or scheduled areas of the Eastern Ghats. The reorganisation brought together hill mandals with significant tribal populations to form a contiguous administrative unit, with the aim of improving governance and service delivery in remote and forested terrain.
Geography
The district lies in the northern part of Andhra Pradesh and is dominated by the Eastern Ghats. It contains hilly, forested landscapes drained by the upper reaches of streams that feed the Godavari and Sarada systems. Notable features within or near the district include the hill resort area of Araku Valley, the coffee-growing tracts of the agency, and tribal settlements scattered across the high-altitude mandals.
Administration
The district headquarters is located at Paderu. The district falls within the Fifth Schedule areas of the Constitution of India in respect of its scheduled tribal regions, and a portion of its territory is administered through the framework applicable to the Integrated Tribal Development Agency at Paderu.
Demographics and society
The district has a high proportion of Scheduled Tribes, including communities such as the Konda Reddi, Konda Dora, Bagata, Valmiki, Kotia and Khond groups. Telugu is the principal language of administration, while several tribal languages and dialects are spoken across the agency mandals.
Economy
The economy is based largely on agriculture, horticulture and forest produce. The hilly tracts are known for the cultivation of Araku coffee, pepper, turmeric, millets and tubers. Tourism, particularly around Araku Valley and the Borra Caves area, contributes to local livelihoods.
Significance
Naming the district after Alluri Sitarama Raju underlines the historical importance of the region as the theatre of the Rampa Rebellion, an armed uprising by tribal communities of the manyam (forest) tracts. The creation of the district is also part of a broader administrative effort to bring governance closer to tribal populations historically distant from district headquarters in the plains.
Related topics
- Districts of Andhra Pradesh
- Alluri Sitarama Raju
- Rampa Rebellion of 1922
- Araku Valley
- Paderu
- Eastern Ghats
References
- Wikidata: Q110714850
- Government of Andhra Pradesh, notifications on district reorganisation, 2022.