Police
Which is the largest bauxite-producing state in India?
Answer (Detailed Solution Below)View answer ▾Hide ▴
Answer: Option D — Odisha
Detailed Solution
Odisha is the largest producer of bauxite in India, accounting for well over half (roughly 70 per cent or more) of the country's production. It also holds the largest bauxite resources in India.
Bauxite deposits of Odisha:
Most of Odisha's bauxite occurs as thick laterite-capped deposits on the flat tops of the Eastern Ghats hills, in the districts of Koraput, Rayagada and Kalahandi.
Panchpatmali (Koraput district) is one of the largest bauxite mines in Asia. It is operated by NALCO.
Other deposits include Gandhamardan, Baphlimali and Niyamgiri.
About NALCO:
- National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO), a public sector company under the Ministry of Mines, was set up in 1981 with headquarters in Bhubaneswar.
- It has an integrated operation: bauxite mines at Panchpatmali, an alumina refinery at Damanjodi (Koraput), and an aluminium smelter and captive power plant at Angul.
- It is one of the largest integrated aluminium companies in Asia and an exporter of alumina and aluminium.
Other aluminium industries in Odisha:
- Vedanta's alumina refinery at Lanjigarh (Kalahandi) and smelter at Jharsuguda.
- Hindalco's Utkal Alumina refinery at Doraguda (Rayagada) and the Aditya Aluminium smelter at Lapanga (Sambalpur).
The Niyamgiri controversy:
- Vedanta planned to mine bauxite in the Niyamgiri hills to feed its Lanjigarh refinery.
- The hills are sacred to the Dongria Kondh, a particularly vulnerable tribal group, who worship Niyam Raja, the god of the mountain.
In 2013, the Supreme Court ruled that the local gram sabhas (village councils) must decide. All 12 gram sabhas consulted rejected the mining project, and it was stopped. This was a landmark case for tribal rights under the Forest Rights Act, 2006.
Other bauxite-producing states:
Gujarat (Kutch and Jamnagar), Jharkhand (Lohardaga and the Pat region), Chhattisgarh (Mainpat and Kawardha), Maharashtra (Kolhapur and Ratnagiri) and Madhya Pradesh (Amarkantak and Katni).
Why not the other options?
- ✗Gujarat has bauxite in Kutch and Saurashtra but produces much less than Odisha.
- ✗Jharkhand has bauxite around Lohardaga.
- ✗Chhattisgarh has bauxite on the Mainpat plateau.
Quick tip
Remember: Bauxite = Odisha (Panchpatmali, Koraput; NALCO refinery at Damanjodi, smelter at Angul); Niyamgiri = Dongria Kondh, 2013 gram sabha verdict.
💬 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.