Nuapada district

Nuapada() is a district of Odisha, India.HistoryThe District of Nuapada was a part of Kalahandi District until early March 1993, but for administrative convenience, Kalahandi District was divided into two parts — Kalahandi and Nuapada. Nuapada District now comprises one sub-division Nuapada, five tehsils (Nuapada, Komana, Khariar, Sinapalli and Boden) and five community development blocks (Khariar, Sinapalli, Boden, Nuapada and Komna).GeographyNuapada district is in the western part of Odisha, lying between latitude 20° 0' N and 21° 5' and between longitude 82° 20' E and 82° 40' E. Its boundaries extend in the north, west and south to Mahasamund district in Chhattisgarh and in the east to Bargarh, Balangir and Kalahandi districts. The district has an area of 3407.5 km² and the administrative headquarters is located at Nuapada.The plains of Nuapada subdivision are fringed by rugged hill ranges stretching southward, which belong to the main line of the Eastern Ghats and contain extensive plateaus of about 4000 ft (1200 m) in elevation with thick tropical vegetation. They contain such mineral deposits of laterite, graphite and bauxite.EconomyDue to the conspicuous absence of any industry, the economy revolves around agricultural activities. Three major irrigation projects — the Upper Jonk, the Sunder dam, and the upcoming Lower Indira Irrigation Project — provide support to 45,000 acres of land. Rice is the main crop in the entire district. Other crops like corn (maize), cotton, and onion make up a major share of crops under cultivation. More than 10,000 households migrate to other states in search of better employment opportunities every year after the harvesting season is over. Though the district is tops in MGNREGS implementation, the advance provided by labor contractors before Nuakhai festival lure ignorant laborers into the plot.Due to unregistered and uninformed migration protection of migrant laborers has become a challenge to the government. In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Nuapada one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640). It is one of the 19 districts in Odisha currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).