Because of its rich and varied mineral deposits, the Chota Nagpur region of India is nicknamed the:

The Chota Nagpur plateau, in eastern India, is called the "mineral storehouse" or "storehouse of minerals" of India because it contains rich deposits of a wide variety of minerals, many of them important for heavy industry.

Location:

• The Chota Nagpur plateau covers most of Jharkhand and adjoining parts of Odisha, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and Bihar.
• It is made up of very old rocks of the Precambrian age (part of the ancient Peninsular block), along with coal-bearing Gondwana rocks in its river valleys.
• Its highest point is Parasnath hill (about 1,350 metres) in Jharkhand, a sacred Jain pilgrimage site.
• The Ranchi plateau, the Hazaribagh plateau and the Koderma plateau are parts of it.

Minerals found here:

Coal: in the Damodar valley coalfields such as Bokaro, Giridih, Karanpura and Raniganj (West Bengal). These are Gondwana coals.

Other minerals include manganese, limestone, dolomite, graphite, kyanite and fireclay.

Industrial importance:

• Because coal and iron ore are found close together, the region became the main centre of the iron and steel industry in India.
• Major steel plants nearby include Jamshedpur (Tata Steel), Bokaro, Durgapur, Burnpur and Rourkela.
• The Damodar Valley Corporation provides power and water to industries in the region.

Physical features:

• The plateau is drained by rivers such as the Damodar, Subarnarekha, Barakar, North Koel, South Koel and Brahmani.
• It has waterfalls such as Hundru, Dassam and Jonha near Ranchi.
• It is a major tribal region, home to the Santhal, Munda, Oraon and Ho communities.

Why not the other options?

• ✗"Granary of India" is a name often used for Punjab, for its large food grain production.
• ✗"Sugar bowl of India" is a nickname for a leading sugar-producing region, not a mineral region.
• ✗"Tea garden of India" is a name used for Assam.