SSC
The Digboi oil fields, among the oldest in India, are located in which state?
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option A — Assam
Detailed Solution
Digboi is a town in the Tinsukia district of upper Assam, in north-eastern India. It is known as the "Oil City of Assam" and is the site of one of the oldest oil fields and the oldest operating oil refinery in India.
History of Digboi:
Oil seepages in the area were noticed in the 19th century.
According to a popular story, elephants used to haul timber for a railway line came back with oil-soaked feet, and engineers then searched the area for oil. The workers are said to have shouted "Dig, boy, dig!", which is a popular (though doubtful) explanation for the name Digboi.
In 1889, the Assam Railways and Trading Company drilled a successful oil well at Digboi. This is often regarded as the beginning of commercial oil production in India.
The Assam Oil Company built the Digboi Refinery, which began working in 1901. It is the oldest operating oil refinery in India, and among the oldest in the world still in operation.
The refinery is now run by Indian Oil Corporation (IOC).
The Digboi Oil Centenary Museum and the "Well No. 1" site are now heritage attractions.
Other oil fields of Assam:
- Naharkatia, Moran, Lakwa, Rudrasagar and Duliajan.
- Oil India Limited (OIL) has its headquarters at Duliajan, Assam.
- Assam also has refineries at Guwahati (Noonmati), Bongaigaon and Numaligarh.
India's oil-producing regions:
- Offshore: Mumbai High (the largest), Bassein and the Krishna-Godavari basin.
- Onshore: Assam, Rajasthan (Barmer, where the Mangala field was discovered in 2004) and the Cauvery basin of Tamil Nadu.
Importance of Digboi:
- The oil industry helped develop upper Assam, with railways, roads and townships.
- The surrounding area also has tea gardens and rich forests, such as the Dehing Patkai National Park.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Arunachal Pradesh has small oil fields near the Assam border, such as at Kharsang, but not Digboi.
- ✗Nagaland has some oil-bearing areas, but production is limited.
- ✗Tripura is known for natural gas, not for the Digboi oil fields.
Quick tip
Remember: Digboi (Tinsukia, Assam) = first commercial oil well (1889) and oldest operating refinery (1901) in India; OIL is based at Duliajan.
💬 Discussions on this question
Ask a doubt ›Still stuck on this question? Ask our faculty and fellow students — answers appear here.
Ask a doubtMore Minerals & Energy Resources Questions
View all ›- Q1.Which is the highest quality hard coal, with the highest carbon content?
- Q2.The Panchpatmali hills in the Koraput district of Odisha are famous for deposits of:
- Q3.Manikaran in Himachal Pradesh is known for:
- Q4.Mumbai High, located in the Arabian Sea, is known for the production of:
- Q5.Which state is the largest producer of lignite coal in India?
More General Knowledge Questions
- Q1.The techniques of Rasa and Bhava used in Indian classical dance trace their origin to which ancient text?Indian Dance Forms
- Q2.Lavani, Powada, Koli, Waghya Murali and Dhangari Gaja are folk dances of which state?Indian Dance Forms
- Q3.The one-act play associated with the Sattriya tradition of Assam is called:Indian Dance Forms
- Q4.Which dance form of Goa is known as the 'Warrior Dance'?Indian Dance Forms
- Q5.Manipuri dance is based on the Rasleela themes of:Indian Dance Forms
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.