RAS question
The Barmer petroleum refinery, a joint venture of Rajasthan government and HPCL, is being set up at which location?
Correct answer: (B) Pachpadra.
The Barmer petroleum refinery joint venture of the Rajasthan government and HPCL is being set up at Pachpadra in Barmer district.
Explanation
The site to remember is Pachpadra. The official Directorate of Petroleum, Government of Rajasthan page lists the refinery-cum-petrochemical complex as a GoR-HPCL joint venture and gives its project location as Pachpadra, Balotra. The core exam facts are that it is a 9 MMTPA refinery-cum-petrochemical complex, with HPCL holding 74% equity and the Government of Rajasthan holding 26%. That is why the MCQ is not asking for the broad district alone, but for the specific project location associated with the Barmer refinery. Pachpadra is therefore the precise answer, while nearby Barmer-area names should not be treated as substitutes.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Balotra is associated with the broader location description on the official page, but the specific refinery site asked in the question is Pachpadra.
- (C) Baytu is in Barmer district, but the official project details identify Pachpadra as the refinery location, not Baytu.
- (D) Gudamalani is not the approved project site in the official Directorate of Petroleum project details.
Concept
This tests Rajasthan economy and industrial infrastructure, especially petroleum-sector value addition through the refinery-cum-petrochemical complex. It recurs in RAS because major state projects are often asked through exact location, ownership and capacity facts.