VIJAYAWADA: The State government has officially renamed YSR district as YSR Kadapa.
An order (GO Ms No. 170) to this effect was issued by the Revenue (Lands IV) Department under the Andhra Pradesh Districts (Formation) Act, 1974, and published in an extraordinary issue of the AP Gazette on May 26, 2025.
The renaming has reversed the previous YSRCP government’s decision to remove Kadapa from the district’s name, which was originally designated YSR Kadapa District in 2010 in memory of former CM YS Rajasekhara Reddy.
Civil society groups, human rights organisations, and political parties had criticised the change to YSR district, arguing that omitting Kadapa, a name tied to the district’s 200-year heritage, undermined its historical identity.
Historically, the district was known as Cuddapah, derived from the Telugu word “Gadapa,” meaning “threshold.” The name reflects Kadapa’s significance as a gateway for pilgrims travelling from the north to Tirumala, the sacred abode of Lord Venkateswara. Over time, Cuddapah became Kadapa, and later YSR Kadapa District, before being altered to YSR District by the YSRCP government.
A preliminary notification issued on March 20, 2025, sought public feedback, with Kadapa District Collector Sridhar Cherukuri setting a deadline of May 25, 2025, for objections. No objections were received, and the district was renamed.