RAS question
Lignite (brown coal) deposits in Rajasthan are primarily found in:
Correct answer: (B) Barsingsar (Bikaner) and Kapurdi (Barmer).
Rajasthan's lignite deposits are primarily associated with Barsingsar in Bikaner and Kapurdi in Barmer.
Explanation
Rajasthan's lignite belt belongs to the western and north-western parts of the State, not to the central, southern or Hadoti districts. The Department of Mines & Geology, Government of Rajasthan, places large lignite deposits in the Barmer-Sachore, Jaisalmer and Nagaur basins and lists Barmer, Jaisalmer, Bikaner, Nagaur and Jalore as the main districts. It specifically records lignite exploitation at Kapurdi-Jalipa in Barmer and Palana-Barsinghsar in Bikaner, and notes lignite-based power plants at Kapurdi-Jalipa, Giral and Palana-Barsinghsar. That directly supports the option pairing Barsingsar (Bikaner) with Kapurdi (Barmer).
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Jaipur and Tonk are not named in the official lignite district belt, which is concentrated in western and north-western Rajasthan.
- (C) Udaipur and Dungarpur fall outside the official lignite belt listed for Rajasthan's western and north-western districts.
- (D) Kota and Jhalawar are not listed among the main lignite districts or operating lignite-based power-plant locations.
Concept
This tests the distribution of mineral resources in Rajasthan, especially the district-wise location of energy minerals. It recurs in RAS because lignite links physical geography with Rajasthan's power-generation geography.