Kushtagi

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?Kushtagi Karnataka • India
Kushtagi
Coordinates: 15°46′N 76°12′E / 15.77, 76.2
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Area • Elevation	• 639 m (2,096 ft)
District(s)	Koppal
Population	21,180 (2001)

Coordinates: 15°46′N 76°12′E / 15.77, 76.2 Kushtagi is a panchayat town in Koppal district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Kalalbandi is village in Kushtagi. It literally means "Stone Cart". Despite the stony ground, its economy is based on agriculture.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Non-Government Organisations
4 References

[edit] Geography

Kushtagi is located at 15.77° N 76.2° E^[1]. It has an average elevation of 639 metres (2096 feet). The area is dry and prone to drought.

[edit] Demographics

As of 2001 India census^[2], Kushtagi had a population of 21,180. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Kushtagi has an average literacy rate of 64%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 73%, and female literacy is 55%. In Kushtagi, 14% of the population is under 6 years of age.

[edit] Non-Government Organisations

Kushtagi is a major area of work for Samraksha^[3], the HIV/AIDS unit of Samuha, a registered NGO. Samraksha currently counsels, treats, and helps about 15,000 people. Their focus includes policy advocacy and community education, including educating women to negotiate safer sex. Their director is Sanghamitra Iyengar. Iyengar points out that the AIDS epidemic has been greatly augmented by the unequal pace of development, with some people at risk because of loss of traditional livelihoods, driving women into sex work, and other populations at risk because income augmentation leads them to risky behaviour as entertainment.^[4]