RAS question
Rajasthan is the sole producer in India of which of the following minerals?
Correct answer: (C) Wollastonite.
Rajasthan is India's sole producer of wollastonite among the listed minerals.
Explanation
Wollastonite is the right answer because Rajasthan is specifically identified as India's sole producer of this mineral. Its mining is placed in Sirohi and Udaipur districts, and it is used in ceramics, paints, plastics and metallurgy. The Department of Mines and Geology, Government of Rajasthan, also describes Rajasthan as a mineral-rich state and states that it was the sole producer of lead and zinc ores and concentrate, selenite and wollastonite. This matters for RAS because the question is not asking which mineral Rajasthan merely produces in large quantities; it asks for a mineral for which Rajasthan has sole-producer status in India.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Coal is wrong because it is primarily mined in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Odisha, not solely in Rajasthan.
- (B) Chromite is wrong because its main occurrence is in Odisha, so it does not match Rajasthan's sole-producer status.
- (D) Iron ore is wrong because Odisha, Jharkhand, Karnataka and Goa are listed as mining states, which rules out Rajasthan as the sole producer.
Concept
This tests Rajasthan's mineral economy, especially minerals for which the state has an all-India monopoly or near-monopoly. Such facts recur in RAS because they connect geography, resource distribution and the state's industrial base.