The Madhya Pradesh government has has carved out a new district, 'Niwari', in the poll-bound state.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Union minister Uma Bharti inaugurated offices of the new district's collector and superintendent of police (SP) on Sunday, a Public Relations department official said Monday.
They introduced Niwari's first Collector Akshay Singh and SP Mukesh Shrivastava to people on the occasion.
Niwari, which formally started functioning from Monday, has been carved out of the Tikamgarh district by including its three tehsils -- Niwadi, Prithvipur and Orccha, the official said.
With Niwari, the central state now has 52 districts.
The decision to create the new district was taken by the state government recently to fulfil the long-pending demand of people from the area, the official added.
The Assembly elections in the state are due later this year.