RAS question
Bauxite (aluminium ore) in India is primarily found in:
Correct answer: (A) Odisha, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, and Chhattisgarh.
In India, bauxite is primarily found in Odisha, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, with Odisha standing out as the leading producing state.
Explanation
Bauxite is the principal ore of aluminium, so RAS questions often test its state-wise distribution rather than just its chemical use. Indian Bureau of Mines, Indian Minerals Yearbook 2022: Bauxite records Odisha as the leading bauxite-producing state in 2021-22, accounting for about 73% of total production. Odisha alone accounts for 41% of India’s bauxite resources, followed by Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand and Maharashtra among the major listed states. This makes option A correct. The Yearbook also notes NALCO as the leading producer and identifies its captive mines at Panchpatmali in the Koraput district of Odisha, which reinforces why Odisha is central to this topic.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Kerala alone is not the answer because Kerala is identified with laterite rather than commercial bauxite, while the Indian Bureau of Mines places the major bauxite emphasis on Odisha and other mineral states.
- (C) Rajasthan alone is not the answer because Rajasthan is treated as a minor bauxite state, not the primary Indian belt.
- (D) Tamil Nadu alone is not the answer because Tamil Nadu is treated as a minor bauxite state, while the Indian Bureau of Mines highlights Odisha and other major resource states.
Concept
This tests the Indian mineral-resource distribution part of economic geography. It recurs in RAS because bauxite links location, industrial raw materials and aluminium production in one compact factual theme.