Some of the most backward districts with significant Maoist presence  which have been receiving funds under the backward region grant funds (BRGF) have been further divided for better administration and utilsation of the money flowing in.

So, while the epicenter of Maoists violence Dantewada has been split into Dantewada and  Bijapur, another Maoist stronghold Bastar in the same state has been divided into Bastar and Narayanpur.

Similarly, in Bihar, Jehhanabad has been divided into Jehanabad and Arwal. In Jharkhand, Ranchi has been split into Ranchi and Khunti.

“The division has been done to ensure the money that’s flowing into these regions is properly utilized. Earlier some of the districts like Dantewada and Jehanabad, the worst affected by the maoist insurgency have not utilized the BRGF funds properly,” said a panchayti raj ministry official.

BRGF is designed to redress regional imbalances in development. The fund provides financial resources for supplementing and converging existing developmental inflows into 250 identified districts, so as to bridge critical gaps in local infrastructure and other development requirements that are not being adequately met through existing inflows.