Sidhi District

Sidhi District is a medium-sized district located at the easternmost portion of Madhya Pradesh. It has a total area of 10,536 square kilometers. As of the census done in 2001, the population of the district is 1,831,152, or about 3% of the population of the stat’s population. Of the overall population of Sidhi, about 11.9% of those are scheduled castes while 29.9% are tribal.

Since the district is located at the edge of the state, two of its boundaries are other states. To the east is the state of Uttar Pradesh while to the south is the state of Chhattisgarh. Most of the north is bounded by the district of Rewa, while the northwest is bounded by Satna district. To the southwest is the district of Shahdol. Sidhi district’s headquarters is the town of Sidhi. It is part of Madya Pradesh’s Rewa division.

The district forms part of the hills of Kaimour Range. Historically, it was known as Siddha Bhumi in ancient times. It has been ruled by three rulers during the 19th century, with each ruler occupying a different territory. They were the Chandela rulers from Bardi (also known as Katai), the Rajasahab of Madhwas and the Rajasahab of Singrauli. Early in the 19th century, the Rajput Baghelas came from Rewa and immigrated to Sidhi. They ruled the western part of of the district (specifically Churhat/Rampur) until India gained its independence. During the creation of Madhya Pradesh on November 1, 1956, Sidhi became a district of the newly established state. It was from the last ruling family of the Rajput Baghelas that the first chief minister of Madhya Pradesh was born.

Sidhi district enjoys a climate that is similar to most of Madhya Pradesh. The hottest months are May and June, with temperatures peaking at 40 degrees. The coldest months, on the other hand, are during December and January.

Agriculture is the occupation of majority of the district’s population. About 35% of the total land is agricultural although only about 17% of the total net sown area has direct irrigation. Most of the agricultural practices in the district are traditional.

99% of the villages have working electricity but only a small percentage of the households’ homes are electrified. There are also teachers and social workers but very few facilities to help them accomplish their jobs to the fullest.

In spite of this, the district’s potential for development is huge. Sidhi district is rich with natural resources, especially with the Sona river draining the district. About 40% of the land is well-forested, which gives the district a constant source of timber as well as non-timber forest products. There are also coal deposits in the area that feed what major industries the district has currently, and it also accounts for a major percentage of the district’s revenue.