RAS question
In how many states are nuclear reactors currently under construction as of Budget 2025?
Correct answer: (B) 6 states.
As of Budget 2025, ten nuclear reactors are under construction across six states: Gujarat, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Karnataka, and Madhya Pradesh.
Explanation
Budget 2025’s nuclear-power note places the current construction pipeline at ten reactors spread across six states: Gujarat, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Karnataka, and Madhya Pradesh. This fits into a wider expansion from 8,180 MW of nuclear capacity to 22,480 MW by 2031-32, with the ten reactors together totalling 8,000 MW. The required count is the number of states, not the number of reactors, so the relevant figure is the six named states. This is why option B is correct: the ten units are not concentrated in four states, nor are they spread across eight or ten states.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Four states understates the spread, because reactors are under construction in six states.
- (C) Eight states overstates the count; the ten reactors are in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Karnataka, and Madhya Pradesh.
- (D) Ten is the number of reactors, not the number of states, so this option confuses project count with state count.
Concept
This tests current Science and Technology infrastructure facts, especially nuclear-energy capacity expansion under Budget 2025. It recurs in RAS because examiners often ask candidates to separate headline project numbers from the geographical distribution behind them.