Background
Bastar is the district that gives its name to the whole Bastar division of Chhattisgarh. The district administration states its area as 6596.90 square kilometres. Jagdalpur is the headquarters both of Bastar district and of Bastar division. The district is divided into seven blocks or tehsils, among them Jagdalpur, Bastar, Bakavand, Lohandiguda and Darbha. The 2011 Census counted 14,13,199 people in the district, made up of 6,98,487 men and 7,14,712 women, a count taken before Kondagaon was separated out. Bastar is the base of the tribal belt of southern Chhattisgarh.
Area:
6596.90 square kilometers
Headquarters:
Jagdalpur
Population (2011):
14,13,199
Blocks:
seven
Why it matters for exams: District area, headquarters and census figures for Bastar are standard State Focus questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Tehsil Tehsil — A revenue sub-division of a district in most Indian States.
Background
Bhilai Steel Plant stands in Durg district of Chhattisgarh and is the plant most often asked about in the State Focus. The district administration records its annual production capacity as 3.153 MT of saleable steel. The plant is described as India's sole producer and supplier of world class rails for Indian Railways, including rails 260 metres long. Its product list runs from wire rods and merchant products to TMT bars, heavy structurals such as channels and beams, and wide and heavy steel plates. It has won the Prime Minister's Trophy for Best Integrated Steel Plant eleven times, and took first prize in the Integrated Steel Sector of the National Energy Conservation Award 2013.
Capacity:
3.153 MT of saleable steel
District:
Durg
Longest rails:
260-metre rails
PM's Trophy:
eleven times
Why it matters for exams: Bhilai's rail monopoly and its capacity figure are asked in both State and economy questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
TMT Thermo Mechanically Treated — A heat-treated reinforcement bar used in construction.
Background
Indravati National Park lies in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh and takes its name from the Indravati river, which forms the park's northern boundary with Maharashtra. The district administration gives its total area as approximately 2799.08 km2. It attained the status of a national park in 1981 and became a tiger reserve in 1983 under Project Tiger. The park is recorded as home to one of the last populations of the rare wild buffalo, a focus of conservation in the State.
Area:
approximately 2799.08 km2
National park:
1981
Tiger reserve:
1983
District:
Bijapur
Why it matters for exams: Years of national park and tiger reserve status, the area and the wild buffalo are repeat questions on Chhattisgarh.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Project Tiger Project Tiger — The central conservation programme under which tiger reserves are notified in India.
Background
The Raipur district administration records that the district, being geographically located almost at the centre of the Chhattisgarh State, was made its capital. The Mahanadi and the Kharun are named as the major rivers of Raipur district. The district was divided into three parts in the year 1998, and its boundaries were reduced again in 2011 as new districts were carved out. The district record names the plains of Dharsiwa, Arang, Abhanpur and Tilda as part of its territory. Raipur today is the seat of the State government and of the new capital complex at Naya Raipur, also called Atal Nagar.
Major rivers:
Mahanadi and Kharun
District divided:
1998
Why it matters for exams: Why Raipur is the capital, and the rivers of the capital district, are standard one-mark questions.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Naya Raipur Naya Raipur (Atal Nagar) — The planned new capital city built next to Raipur for Chhattisgarh's government offices.
Background
Surguja is the northern district that gives its name to the Surguja division of Chhattisgarh. The district administration records that about 58% of the area in the district lies under forests, one of the highest shares in the State. Ambikapur is the seat of the district and is described as the capital of Surguja. The district record states that the major population comprises tribal population, which is why Surguja falls within the Scheduled Areas framework used for tribal administration. Surguja is the division in which the Hasdeo Arand forest belt and the State's northern coalfields are located.
Forest share:
About 58% of the area
Seat:
Ambikapur
Why it matters for exams: Forest share and the headquarters of Surguja come up whenever the Hasdeo coal belt is in the news.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Scheduled Areas Scheduled Areas — Areas notified under the Fifth Schedule where special rules protect tribal land and governance.
Background
Bilaspur is the seat of the Chhattisgarh High Court and the district most often paired with Raipur in examination questions. The district administration records that Bilaspur city is about 400 years old and that the name is taken from a fisher-woman named Bilasa. The area of the district is given as 3508.48 square kilometers and its total population as approximately 1625502. It lies between 21.47 degrees and 23.8 degrees north latitude and 81.14 degrees and 83.15 degrees east longitude. At present 11 tehsils, 4 blocks and 708 villages are included in the district. The record describes Bilaspur as the second-largest city after the Raipur-Bhilai-Durg Tri-City Metro area. It is bounded by Gaurela-Pendra-Marwahi in the north, Mungeli and Kabirdham in the west, Balauda Bazar-Bhatapara in the south and Korba and Janjgir-Champa in the east.
Area:
3508.48 square kilometers
Population:
approximately 1625502
Tehsils:
11
Villages:
708
Why it matters for exams: Bilaspur holds the High Court, so its area, population and tehsil count are frequently asked together.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
Korba is the district an aspirant is asked about whenever Chhattisgarh's coal and power capacity comes up. The district administration records that Korba was accorded the status of a full fledged revenue district with effect from 25 May, 1998. Its headquarter is Korba city, situated on the banks of the confluence of the rivers Hasdeo and Ahiran. The record calls Korba the power capital of Chhattisgarh. The district comes under Bilaspur division, and its headquarter lies about 200 KM from the capital city Raipur. It is surrounded by the districts Korea, Surguja, Bilaspur and Janjgir. The district has two forest divisions, Korba and Katghora.
Revenue district from:
25 May, 1998
Rivers at headquarter:
Hasdeo and Ahiran
Distance from Raipur:
about 200 KM
Division:
Bilaspur
Why it matters for exams: The 1998 formation date, the Hasdeo-Ahiran confluence and the power capital tag are all standard recall points.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
Korba is the Chhattisgarh district where the coal economy and the tribal population sit on the same ground, which is why its land and population figures are asked together. The district administration gives the District's total area as 7,14,544 hectare, out of which 2,83,497 hectares is forest land. Tribals constitute the majority, 51.67% of the total population, and the main scheduled tribes listed are Pahadi Korwa, Gond, Raj Gond, Kawar, Bhaiyana, Binjwar and Dhanuhar. The Pahadi Korwa are recorded as a protected tribe. The Hasdeo river, the main river flowing through the district, starts from Pathar in the Valley of Chhota Nagpur and has a total length of 233 kms, with the Gagechorai, Tan and Ahiran as tributaries. Average rainfall in the district is 1506.7 mm and normal rainfall is 1287.6 mm. The local language is Chhattisgarhi.
Total area:
7,14,544 hectare
Forest land:
2,83,497 hectares
Tribal share:
51.67%
Hasdeo length:
233 kms
Average rainfall:
1506.7 mm
Why it matters for exams: The tribal share, the forest-to-total land ratio and the length of the Hasdeo are all quotable figures.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Pahadi Korwa Pahadi Korwa — A tribe recorded as protected, found in the hill forests of northern Chhattisgarh.
Background
Raigarh is the district that answers questions on Chhattisgarh's crafts and on its eastern boundary. The district administration records that Raigarh, in Bilaspur Revenue Division, is situated in the easternmost part of Chhattisgarh State. It is bounded by Surguja and Jashpur districts in the north, Orissa in the east, Mahasamund district in the south and Korba and Janjgir-Champa districts in the West. Topographically the district varies from the lofty forest clad plateau of Pandrapat and Khuria in the north to the treeless, dusty plains of Raigarh and Sarangarh in the south. Raigarh is known for Dhokra Casting, also called Bell Metal Casting, and for two types of silk, namely Tasar Silk and Mulberry Silk.
Division:
Bilaspur Revenue Division
Known for:
Dhokra or Bell Metal Casting
Silks:
Tasar Silk and Mulberry Silk
Northern plateau:
Pandrapat and Khuria
Why it matters for exams: Dhokra casting and the Tasar-Mulberry silk pair are the craft facts examiners attach to Chhattisgarh.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Dhokra Dhokra casting — A lost-wax metal casting craft practised in eastern India to make figures and vessels.