Nine more districts came into existence in Chhattisgarh on Sunday, taking the total number to 27, Chief Minister Raman Singh said.
The new districts, a new year gift to people, were carved out to speed up the pace of development, Singh said while talking to reporters.
The new districts are Sukma, Kondagaon, Balod, Bemetara, Baloda Bazar, Gariaband, Mungeli, Surajpur and Balrampur.
Sukma district has been carved out of the state's worst Maoist affected Dantewada district and Kondagaon from the insurgency-hit Bastar district.