SSC
Malanjkhand, the largest open-pit copper mine in India, is located in which state?
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Answer: Option B — Madhya Pradesh
Detailed Solution
The Malanjkhand Copper Project is located in the Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh. It is operated by Hindustan Copper Limited (HCL), a public sector company under the Ministry of Mines. It is the largest open-pit copper mine in India, and the Malanjkhand deposit holds a large share of the country's copper ore reserves.
Key facts:
- The deposit occurs in ancient granite rocks of the Malanjkhand hills.
- Mining began in the early 1980s as an open-cast (open-pit) mine, and an underground mine is being developed below the pit to reach deeper ore.
- The ore is concentrated at the mine and sent for smelting.
About Hindustan Copper Limited:
- It was set up in 1967 and is the only vertically integrated copper producer in India, doing both mining and refining.
- Its units include the Malanjkhand Copper Project (MP), the Khetri Copper Complex (Rajasthan), the Indian Copper Complex at Ghatsila (Jharkhand) and the Taloja Copper Project (Maharashtra).
Copper resources in India:
The main copper-bearing belts are:
- Malanjkhand belt in Madhya Pradesh.
- Khetri-Singhana belt in the Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan.
- Singhbhum copper belt in Jharkhand, around Ghatsila, Mosabani and Rakha.
- Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Jharkhand together hold most of India's copper reserves.
India produces much less copper ore than it needs, and imports large quantities of copper concentrate. Private smelters also process imported ore.
Uses of copper:
- Copper is an excellent conductor of electricity and heat, so it is widely used in electrical wires, cables, motors and electronics.
- It is used in alloys such as brass (copper and zinc) and bronze (copper and tin).
- It is also used in plumbing, coins and utensils.
- Its demand is rising because of electric vehicles and renewable energy equipment.
About Balaghat:
Balaghat is a forested district; part of the Kanha Tiger Reserve lies within it.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Jharkhand has the Singhbhum copper belt, but Malanjkhand is not there.
- ✗Maharashtra has HCL's Taloja refining plant, not a mine of this size.
- ✗Sikkim has small copper deposits, but no large mine.
Quick tip
Remember: Malanjkhand (Balaghat, MP) = largest open-pit copper mine; Hindustan Copper Ltd also runs Khetri (Rajasthan) and Ghatsila (Jharkhand).
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Minerals & Energy Resources — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Minerals & Energy Resources, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers India's mineral resources (iron ore, manganese, bauxite, copper, mica and others) and energy resources (coal, petroleum, natural gas, nuclear power and renewable energy), with their main producing regions, mines, oil fields and power plants. Questions often ask where a mineral is found, which state is the leading producer, or where an important power plant or oil field is located. For example, Jharia is known for coal, Digboi in Assam is the oldest oil field in India, and Tarapur in Maharashtra is the site of India's first nuclear power plant. Practise the minerals and energy resources questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.