Pune districts to the southwest, Solapur district to the south and Beed district to the southeast. Officer Members of ParliamentSujay Vikhe Patil (BJP) - AhmednagarSadashiv Lokhande (SHS) Shirdi Guardian Minister list of Guardian Minister District Magistrate/Collector list of District Magistrate / Collector Tourism Ahmednagar Fort Bhandardara Harishchandragad Kalsubai Nighoj Shani Shingnapur Shirdi SiddhatekDevgad - Shree Datt Mandir Newasa -' Pais Khamb MandirHistory Although Ahmednagar district was created as early as in 1818, modern history of Ahmednagar may be said to have commenced from 1869, the year in which parts of Nashik and Solapur which till then had comprised Nagar were separated and the present Nagar district was formed. Ahmednagar District was created after the defeat of the Maratha Confederacy in the Third Anglo-Maratha War in 1818, when most of the Peshwa's domains were annexed to British India. The district remained part of the Central division of Bombay Presidency until India's independence in 1947, when it became part of Bombay State, and in 1960 the new state of Maharashtra. Economy In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Ahmednagar one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640). It is one of the twelve districts in Maharashtra currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF). Ahmednagar is Maharashtra's most advanced district in many ways. It has the maximum number of sugar factories, perhaps to spread the message of “Rural Prosperity through Cooperation” it gave the country half a century ago. The first cooperative sugar factory in Asia was established at Pravanagar. A role model of water conservation work can be seen at Ralegaon Siddhi, which is also called the Ideal Village. Newase where Dnyaneshwari was written, Shri Saibaba's Shirdi, one of Ashtavinayaks at Siddhatek, the famous Kanifnath temple, attract devotees. The Palace of Chand Bibi, the Bhandardara dam, Harishchandragad Fort, the Maldhok (Indian Bustard) sanctuary and the Rehkuri sanctuary are some of the places of tourist attraction. Divisions Ahmednagar district consists of fourteen talukas. These talukas are Akole Jamkhed Karjat Kopargaon Nagar Nevasa Parner Pathardi Rahata Rahuri Sangamner Shevgaon Shrigonda Shrirampur. Ahmednagar district has twelve Vidhan Sabha constituencies, six in each of the two parliamentary constituencies. For the Shirdi Parliamentary Constituency (SC) #216 Akole (ST) #217 Sangamner #218 Shirdi #219 Kopergaon #220 Shrirampur (SC) #221 Newasa. For the Ahmednagar Parliamentary Constituency #222 Shevgaon #223 Rahuri #224 Parner #225 Ahmednagar City #226 Shrigonda #227