RAS question
The Bailadila iron ore mines are located in:
Correct answer: (A) Dantewada district, Chhattisgarh.
The Bailadila iron ore mines are located in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh.
Explanation
Bailadila is not a generic label for iron ore in eastern India; it refers to a specific mining belt in Chhattisgarh. The official PIB source lists NMDC's Bailadila iron ore mine, Bacheli Complex at Bacheli, South Bastar Dantewada, Chhattisgarh, and the Kirandul Complex at Kirandul in the same district. That directly supports Dantewada district, Chhattisgarh, as the correct location. The standard exam explanation adds why the site is important: Bailadila is part of the Bailadila Range, has high-grade hematite ore with 66-68% iron content, is operated by NMDC, and its ore is associated with the Visakhapatnam export route to Japan.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Singhbhum in Jharkhand is an important iron-ore area, but it is a separate deposit belt and not the Bailadila mining complex identified in Chhattisgarh.
- (C) Keonjhar in Odisha also has iron ore, but the PIB listing places the Bailadila Bacheli and Kirandul complexes in South Bastar Dantewada, Chhattisgarh, not Odisha.
- (D) Bellary in Karnataka is another mining region; the cited PIB page separately lists NMDC's Donimalai and Kumaraswamy mines in Bellary, showing that Bellary is distinct from Bailadila.
Concept
This tests the location of major Indian mineral belts, especially iron ore. RAS repeatedly asks such questions because mineral geography links physical resources with industry, transport and regional economic development.