List of districts of Arunachal Pradesh

As of July 2020, Arunachal Pradesh comprised 25 districts, with more districts proposed. Although Itanagar capital complex does not have district status it is counted by some as a district thus making the unofficial district count 26. Most of the districts are inhabited by various tribal groups. The latest and presently valid official map of districts of Arunachal Pradesh, after the most recent new districts were last announced on 30 August 2018, is in the external links.

History

When control of the North-East Frontier Agency was transferred to the Ministry of Home Affairs in September 1965 its five divisions, Kameng, Subansiri, Siang, Lohit and Tirap each became districts. Over the next few years many new districts were created out of the original five:

• On 13 May 1980 Subansiri district was bifurcated into two districts: Lower Subansiri district and Upper Subansiri district. Upper Subansiri district comprised the area occupied by the erstwhile Daporijo sub-division and Lower Subansiri district comprised the rest of the area occupied by the erstwhile Subansiri district.

• On 1 June 1980,

1. The erstwhile Lohit district was divided into two districts: Lohit district and Dibang Valley district.
2. Siang district was bifurcated into two districts: East Siang district and West Siang district.
3. Seppa and Bomdila sub-divisions of the Kameng district were transformed into East Kameng district and West Kameng district, respectively.

• On 6 October 1984, Tawang district was separated from East Kameng district.

• In 1987, the erstwhile Tirap district was divided into two districts: Tirap district and Changlang district.

• On 22 September 1992, the erstwhile Lower Subansiri district was again bifurcated into Lower Subansiri district and Papum Pare district.

• On 23 November 1994, Upper Siang district was split from East Siang district.

• On 1 April 2001, Kurung Kumey district was carved out from the erstwhile Lower Subansiri district.

• On 16 December 2001, Dibang Valley district was bifurcated into Dibang Valley district and Lower Dibang Valley district.

• On 16 February 2004, Anjaw district was carved out from the erstwhile Lohit district.

• On 19 March 2012, Longding district was carved out from the erstwhile Tirap district.

• On 25 November 2014, Namsai district was carved out from the erstwhile Lohit district.

• On 7 February 2015, Kra Daadi district was carved out from the erstwhile Kurung Kumey district.

• On 27 November 2015, a new Siang district was carved out from parts of East Siang and West Siang districts.

• On 22 September 2017, Lower Siang district, was carved out of West Siang and East Siang districts.

• On 4 December 2017, a new district called Kamle district was created from Lower Subansiri District and Upper Subansiri District, with its headquarters to be located in Raga. It comprises the administrative circles of Raga (which will be the district HQ), Kumporijo and Dollungmukh circles from Lower Subansiri District. The administrative circles taken from Upper Subansiri District will be Gepen Circle, Puchigeko Circle, Daporijo Sadar which falls under 25 Raga Constituency including Ligu and Liruk demarcation from Sigen Subansiri confluence in Single Administrative Unit.

• On 30 August 2018, following 3 new districts were formed:

1. Pakke-Kesang carved out of East Kameng district with five administrative units namely Pakke-Kessang, Seijosa, Pijiriang, Passa Valley and Dissingn Passo with district headquarters at Lemmi.
2. Lepa-Rada created by bifurcating the Lower Siang district with headquarters at Basar and 4 administrative units namely Tirbin, Basar, Daring and Sago.
3. Shi-Yomi created by bifurcating the West Siang district with its headquarters at Tato and 4 administrative units namely Mechuka, Tato, Pidi and Manigong.

Administrative set-up

The districts of Arunachal Pradesh state are administrative geographical units, each headed by a deputy commissioner, an officer belonging to the Indian Administrative Service and a superintendent of police, an officer belonging to the Indian Police Service.

List of districts is as follows:

Code	District	Headquarters	Population (2011)	Area (km2)	Density (/km2)	Year created	Map
TI	Tirap	Khonsa	111,975	2,362	47	1965
WK	West Kameng	Bomdila	87,013	7,422	12	1980
EK	East Kameng	Seppa	78,413	4,134	19	1980
ES	East Siang	Pasighat	99,019	4,005	25	1980
LB	Lower Subansiri	Ziro	82,839	3,460	24	1980
UB	Upper Subansiri	Daporijo	83,205	7,032	12	1980
WS	West Siang	Along	112,272	8,325	12	1980
EL	Lohit	Tezu	145,538	2,402	61	1980
TA	Tawang	Tawang Town	49,950	2,085	24	1984
CH	Changlang	Changlang	147,951	4,662	32	1987
PA	Papum Pare	Yupia	176,385	2,875	61	1992
US	Upper Siang	Yingkiong	33,146	6,188	5	1994
UD	Lower Dibang Valley	Roing	53,986	3,900	14	2001
	Dibang Valley	Anini	7,948	9,129	1	2001
	Kurung Kumey	Koloriang	89,717	8,818	10	2001
AJ	Anjaw	Hawai	21,089	6,190	3	2004
LD	Longding	Longding	60,000	1,200	50	2012
	Namsai	Namsai	95,950	1,587	60	2014	Error creating thumbnail: File missing
	Kra Daadi	Jamin	22,290	2,202	10	2015
	Siang	Boleng	31,920	2,919	11	2015
	Lower Siang	Likabali	80,597			2017	Error creating thumbnail: File missing
	Kamle	Raga	22,256	200	111.28	2017
	Shi-Yomi	Tato	13,310	2,875	4.6	2018
	Lepa-Rada	Basar				2018	Error creating thumbnail: File missing
	Pakke-Kessang	Lemmi				2018	Error creating thumbnail: File missing

Proposals for new districts

• A proposal to trifurcate the existing Papum Pare district to create 2 additional districts out of it:
  • the proposed Capital district entailing the existing subdivisions of Banderdewa, Itanagar, and Naharlagun was proposed in 2013, and
  • the proposed Sagalee district entailing the existing sub-divisions of Sagalee, Leporiang, Parang, and Mengio.
• A proposal to create a new "North Subansiri district" from the northernmost Indo-China border subdivisions of the existing 3 districts, namely Kurung Kumey district, Kra Daadi district and Upper Subansiri district. The proposed "North Subansiri district" will entail the subdivisions of Sarli and Damin from the "Kurung Kumey district"; the subdivisions of Pipsorang and Longding Koling from the "Kra Daadi district"; and the subdivisions of Taksing, Limeking, Nacho and Siyum from the "Upper Subansiri district".
• A proposal to create a new "Hayuliang district" from the easternmost Indo-China border subdivisions of the existing 2 districts, namely Anjaw district and Lohit District. The proposed "Hayuliang district" will entail the northeasternmost parts of the existing Tezu circle of the "Lohit district"; and the existing subdivisions of Hayuliang, Metengliang, Chaglagam and Goiliang of the "Anjaw district".
• A 2017 proposal to bifurcate the existing Changlang district to create an additional "Rima district" out of it with HQ at Miao. The proposed "Rima district" will entail the existing subdivisions of Diyun, Bordumsa, Kharsang, Jairampur, Nampong, Rima-Putak (Tikhak), Miao, and Vijoynagar from the "Changlang district". However, it was unanimously opposed by the Changlang People's Forum in the same month.

External linkes

• Official map of districts of Arunachal Pradesh, this is latest and currently valid map after the most recently new districts were last announced on 30 August 2018.