4 October 2026
Central Reserve Police Force units, including its CoBRA units, and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police have begun vacating camps in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh.
The camp at Renganar, set up about fifteen years ago, has been vacated, and withdrawals are under way at Metapal, Jaram and Badegudra.
More than 65,000 central paramilitary personnel are deployed across the seven Bastar districts.
The Dantewada district collector is Devesh Kumar Dhruv.
Vacated camps are to be converted into Seva Dera public service and skill centres or handed over to the local police after security assessments.
The Union Home Minister had announced in May 2026 that 70 of the 196 security camps in Bastar would be turned into public service centres, the first being the Shaheed Veer Gundadhur Seva Dera at Netanar near Jagdalpur.
Camps to be converted:
70 of 196
Paramilitary strength in Bastar:
more than 65,000 across seven districts
First service centre:
Netanar, near Jagdalpur
Why it matters for exams: The shift from security camps to service delivery in Bastar is the live internal security question on Chhattisgarh.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
CoBRA Commando Battalion for Resolute Action — A specialised jungle-warfare force raised within the Central Reserve Police Force.
Seva Dera Shaheed Veer Gundadhur Seva Dera — The name given to Bastar security camps converted into centres that deliver government services and skill training.
Gundadhur Veer Gundadhur — A tribal leader of Bastar remembered for the Bhumkal uprising of 1910 against colonial rule.
Background
The state of Chhattisgarh was formed on 1 November 2000 under the Madhya Pradesh State Reorganization Act, 2000.
Before its formation, the area of present-day Chhattisgarh was administered by Madhya Pradesh through Divisional Commissioners and District Collectors.
After formation, the state government kept the system of revenue divisions and strengthened it, each division being overseen by a Divisional Commissioner.
The Chhattisgarh Revenue Board, headquartered in Bilaspur, was effectively operational to oversee and exercise judicial control over revenue matters in the state.
The revenue division system was meant for administrative decentralisation and coordination between districts.
Formed on:
1 November 2000
Enabling Act:
Madhya Pradesh State Reorganization Act, 2000
Revenue Board HQ:
Bilaspur
Why it matters for exams: Formation dates, parent states and the enabling Reorganisation Act are standard state-profile questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Divisional Commissioner Head of a revenue division — A divisional commissioner oversees the revenue and administrative functions of the districts in a division.
Background
The Chhattisgarh High Court was established on 1 November 2000 as a separate High Court for the newly created state.
It was set up under the Madhya Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2000, with jurisdiction over the territories of the state of Chhattisgarh.
The High Court of Chhattisgarh at Bilaspur is described on the e-Committee page as the 19th High Court of India.
Its new building is situated in Bilaspur at Bodri.
It was inaugurated on the day of its establishment by a Judge of the Supreme Court of India.
Established:
1 November 2000
Seat:
Bilaspur
Establishing Act:
Madhya Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2000
Why it matters for exams: The seat, year and parent Act of a state's High Court are routine polity and state-profile questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
e-Committee e-Committee of the Supreme Court of India — The Supreme Court body that oversees the e-Courts computerisation project.
Background
Per the PIB release of 18 November 2024, the Government of Chhattisgarh, on advice of the National Tiger Conservation Authority, notified the Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla Tiger Reserve as the 56th tiger reserve of the country.
It has a total area of 2829.38 sq km, with a core/critical tiger habitat of 2049.2 sq km and a buffer of 780.15 sq km.
The core comprises the Guru Ghasidas National Park and the Tamor Pingla Wildlife Sanctuary.
It is the third largest tiger reserve in the country, after Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh and Manas in Assam.
It is contiguous with the Sanjay Dubri Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, forming a landscape complex of nearly 4500 sq km.
With this notification Chhattisgarh has 4 tiger reserves; the NTCA lists them as Achanakmar, Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla, Indravati and Udanti Sitanadi.
Total area:
2829.38 sq km
Core / critical tiger habitat:
2049.2 sq km
Buffer:
780.15 sq km
Tiger reserves in Chhattisgarh:
4
Why it matters for exams: Tiger reserve counts, rankings by area and the national park versus tiger reserve distinction are frequent environment questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
NTCA National Tiger Conservation Authority — The statutory authority that gives technical and financial assistance for tiger conservation under Project Tiger.
Background
The Bastar district website gives the area of Kanger Valley National Park as 200 square kilometres.
The park got the status of a national park in 1982.
Its name is derived from the Kangar river, which flows along its length.
The forest is a mixed humid deciduous type, with sal, saugaun, teak and bamboo in abundance.
The page names the Bastar Maina, a hill maina able to imitate human voices, as the state bird.
The park has three caves, Kutumbasar, Kailash and Dandak, with stalagmites and stalactites.
Tirathgarh Waterfall is located in the park; Kenjhardhara and Bhainsadhara are known for crocodiles.
Area (as per Bastar district website):
200 sq km
National park status:
1982
Caves named:
Kutumbasar, Kailash, Dandak
Why it matters for exams: National parks of a state, the year of their status and the river or feature behind the name are staple environment and geography questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
Sirpur lies on the bank of the Mahanadi river and is listed on the Mahasamund district website.
The district page places Sirpur at the top of the historical places of South Kosal, that is, present Chhattisgarh.
In the age of the Somavanshi emperors it was known as Shripur and was the capital of South Kosal.
The page says Sirpur has a very special position in the history of Indian art.
Its photo gallery lists the Laxman temple, Swastik Vihar, Buddha Vihar, Anand Prabhu Cottage and Baleshwar Shiv Temple.
The nearest railhead is Mahasamund and the nearest airport is at Raipur, 74.5 km away.
Old name:
Shripur
River:
Mahanadi
District:
Mahasamund
Nearest airport:
Raipur, 74.5 km
Why it matters for exams: Ancient capitals, their old names and river locations are common history and culture questions about a state.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
Areas with significant tribal populations are designated as Scheduled Areas by the President of India in terms of Article 244 of the Constitution.
The Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 came into force because the 73rd Amendment did not apply to tribal Scheduled Areas automatically.
As per the PIB backgrounder of 22 December 2025, 10 states have Fifth Scheduled Areas, Chhattisgarh among them.
In Chhattisgarh these cover 9,977 villages, 5,050 panchayats and 85 blocks, with 13 districts fully covered and 6 partially covered.
Chhattisgarh is among the eight states that have framed their PESA Rules; the backgrounder cites the Chhattisgarh PESA Rules 2022 in the case of a Gram Sabha in Kanker district.
Villages (as per PIB backgrounder, Dec 2025):
9,977
Panchayats:
5,050
Blocks:
85
Districts fully / partially covered:
13 / 6
Why it matters for exams: Scheduled Areas, Article 244 and PESA are core polity topics, and state-wise coverage figures make good numerical questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
PESA Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 — The Act that extends Panchayati Raj provisions to tribal Scheduled Areas and empowers tribal Gram Sabhas.
Background
The Bailadila range in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh carries the iron ore deposits worked by NMDC Limited, a central public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Steel.
Bacheli is the mining and processing settlement on the range, and Kirandul is the other principal mining town.
Ore fines and slimes from the Bailadila operations are turned into concentrate, which is then made into pellets for steelmakers.
Nagarnar, near Jagdalpur in Bastar district, is the site of NMDC's downstream plant complex.
A 135-km slurry pipeline links the processing plant on the range to Nagarnar, running through Bastar and Dantewada districts.
Range:
Bailadila, Dantewada district
Mining towns:
Bacheli and Kirandul
Downstream site:
Nagarnar, Bastar district
Why it matters for exams: Bailadila, Bacheli, Kirandul and Nagarnar are the place names that carry almost every question on Chhattisgarh's mineral economy.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Ore fines iron ore fines — The small-sized particles left over from mining and crushing iron ore, too fine to charge directly into a blast furnace.
Concentrate iron ore concentrate — Ore from which much of the waste rock has been removed, raising the iron content.
Background
The Indravati Tiger Reserve lies in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh.
Its critical tiger habitat, or core, is 1,258.37 sq km and its buffer or peripheral area is 1,540.70 sq km, making a total of 2,799.07 sq km.
The Indravati river forms the boundary of the reserve on its northern and western sides.
The reserve has connectivity with tiger reserves in Telangana, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, and is contiguous with forests in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.
The reserve is preparing to admit visitors again after about four decades.
Core area:
1,258.37 sq km
Buffer area:
1,540.70 sq km
Total area:
2,799.07 sq km
District:
Bijapur
Why it matters for exams: Core and buffer areas of named tiger reserves, and the rivers that bound them, are standard map and environment questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Critical tiger habitat critical tiger habitat — The core area of a tiger reserve notified as needing to be kept inviolate for tiger conservation.
NTCA National Tiger Conservation Authority — The statutory authority that oversees Project Tiger and India's tiger reserves.