RAS question
Manganese ore in India is mainly found in:
Correct answer: (B) Odisha, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra.
In India, manganese ore is mainly found in Odisha, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Explanation
Manganese ore in India is concentrated in a few major mineral belts, so the correct grouping is Odisha, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. The Indian Bureau of Mines states that Madhya Pradesh was the leading producing state in 2021-22, followed by Maharashtra and Odisha. The Indian Bureau of Mines also records that, statewise, Odisha had the largest share of total reserves/resources, followed by Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. This fits the familiar RAS pattern: Balaghat and Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh, Nagpur and Bhandara in Maharashtra, and Dharwad and Shimoga in Karnataka appear as standard location markers. Manganese matters because it is used in steel manufacturing, batteries and chemicals.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Rajasthan is not the main manganese belt; IBM groups Rajasthan with Gujarat, Telangana and West Bengal in the small remaining share of resources.
- (C) Assam is outside the major manganese-ore production and reserves/resource pattern emphasized by the Indian Bureau of Mines.
- (D) Punjab is not identified by the Indian Bureau of Mines as a manganese-ore state, so it cannot be the main location.
Concept
This tests the distribution of metallic minerals in Indian geography, especially state-wise mineral belts and production patterns. It recurs in RAS because such questions connect physical geography with industry, resource mapping and location-based facts.