At a glance
PaperPaper ISubjectGeographyImportanceHigh
Book DigestGeographyNCERTIndia ResourcesMineralsEnergyRenewables
India's mineral wealth is concentrated in the ancient rocks of the Peninsular Plateau, especially the north-eastern plateau (Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal), the "mineral heartland". CAPF asks mineral-to-state and the renewable-energy basics.
- Iron ore: India has large reserves of high-grade haematite and magnetite; chief states are Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka (Bellary-Hospet) and Goa; the Kudremukh and Bailadila mines are notable.
- Coal: the chief conventional energy source; mainly Gondwana coal (about 250 million years old) of the Damodar valley (Jharia, Bokaro, Raniganj) and the Godavari, Mahanadi and Son valleys, plus younger Tertiary coal in the north-east and Jammu and Kashmir.
- Manganese: used in steel; Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka.
- Bauxite (aluminium ore): Odisha (the leader), Jharkhand, Gujarat, Maharashtra; associated with laterite.
- Mica (electrical insulation): the Koderma (Jharkhand)-Gaya-Hazaribagh belt and the Nellore (Andhra) belt; India is a leading producer of high-quality mica.
- Copper: Khetri (Rajasthan), Singhbhum (Jharkhand), Malanjkhand (Madhya Pradesh).
- Limestone (cement, steel flux): widely distributed in the peninsular and Himalayan sedimentary belts.
- Gold: Kolar and Hutti (Karnataka).
- India is deficient in petroleum and is heavily import-dependent, and limited in some strategic minerals.
- Coal: dominates electricity generation (thermal power).
- Petroleum and natural gas: onshore (Assam, the oldest field at Digboi; Gujarat) and offshore (Mumbai High in the Arabian Sea, the largest; the Krishna-Godavari basin). India imports a large share of its crude.
- Hydroelectricity: the perennial Himalayan rivers and peninsular projects (Bhakra-Nangal on the Sutlej, Hirakud on the Mahanadi, Nagarjuna Sagar on the Krishna, Sardar Sarovar on the Narmada).
- Nuclear: uranium (Jaduguda, Jharkhand) and thorium-rich monazite sands of Kerala (the basis of India's three-stage nuclear programme); stations include Tarapur, Kudankulam, Kaiga and Kakrapar.
India has a large and fast-growing renewable sector. The main sources:
- Solar: very high potential in Rajasthan, Gujarat and the Deccan; large parks such as Bhadla (Rajasthan) and Pavagada (Karnataka). India co-founded and hosts the International Solar Alliance.
- Wind: the coastal and hill-gap sites of Tamil Nadu (Muppandal), Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka.
- Others: small hydro, biomass and biogas, tidal (Gulf of Khambhat and Kutch potential), and geothermal (Puga valley, Ladakh; Manikaran, Himachal).
(For India's current installed renewable capacity and targets, verify the latest from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.)
- India has about 4 percent of the world's freshwater for about 18 percent of its population, so water stress is real and growing.
- Sources: rivers, groundwater (over-extracted in the north-west, hence falling water tables), tanks and lakes.
- Management: major and minor irrigation projects, watershed development, rainwater harvesting and the interlinking of rivers proposal; recurring inter-state disputes (Kaveri, Krishna) link water to federal governance (see india drainage).
Mineral-rich tribal belts (Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha) overlap with the Left-Wing Extremism (Naxal) corridor, where mining, displacement and the rights of tribal communities (the Forest Rights Act, 2006 and PESA, 1996) intersect with internal security, a core CAPF theme. Energy security (import dependence on crude, the push to renewables and the International Solar Alliance) and water security are strategic concerns that the essay and interview frequently probe.
- Mineral to state (iron-Odisha/Jharkhand, mica-Koderma, copper-Khetri, gold-Kolar). Damodar valley coalfields.
- Mumbai High (largest offshore oilfield), monazite/thorium in Kerala, the three-stage nuclear programme.
- The International Solar Alliance and major solar/wind sites.
- The Koderma belt is famous for which mineral? (a) coal (b) mica (c) bauxite (d) gold. Answer: (b) mica. Authored practice, not a verbatim PYQ.
- The largest offshore oilfield of India is: (Answer: Mumbai High, in the Arabian Sea.) Authored practice, not a verbatim PYQ.