RAS question
Sambhar Lake in Rajasthan is India's largest inland salt lake. It produces approximately what percentage of India's total salt?
Correct answer: (B) 8.7%.
Sambhar Lake contributes around 8.7 percent of India's salt production.
Explanation
Sambhar Lake is India's largest inland saltwater lake, lying near the Aravali range about 60 km west of Jaipur. Its lake bed varies from about 230 sq km in the monsoon to 190 sq km in summer, and the eastern part has reservoirs, canals and saltpans used for salt extraction. In that context, the key exam figure is that Sambhar Lake contributes around 8.7 percent of India's salt production and is managed by Sambhar Salt Ltd. The percentage matters because Sambhar is economically important, but it does not displace Gujarat's wider dominance in India's salt economy.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) 40 percent is far too high because Gujarat dominates India's salt production, while Sambhar's stated share is only around 8.7 percent.
- (C) 25 percent overstates Sambhar's role; the supported figure for the lake is around 8.7 percent, not a quarter of national production.
- (D) 2 percent understates the lake's contribution, since Sambhar's share is around 8.7 percent.
Concept
This tests Rajasthan economic geography through a major mineral-linked wetland rather than a generic map fact. RAS often repeats such questions because Sambhar combines location, salt production, state economy and environmental significance in one site.