RAS question
The Barmer-Sanchor basin, an important petroleum producing area, is in which state?
Correct answer: (C) Rajasthan.
The Barmer-Sanchor basin is in Rajasthan, where it covers Barmer district and part of Jalore district.
Explanation
The Barmer-Sanchor basin is a western Rajasthan petroleum basin, so Rajasthan is the state being tested here. The Directorate of Petroleum, Government of Rajasthan, lists Barmer-Sanchore as one of Rajasthan's four potential petroliferous basins and gives its coverage as Barmer district and part of Jalore district. That matches the standard exam clue: Barmer-Sanchor is an onshore petroleum-producing region developed by Cairn India, now Vedanta. The official hydrocarbon-production page also links crude oil production in the Barmer-Sanchore basin with Cairn/Vedanta and names producing fields such as Mangla, Bhagyam and Aishwariya. The options are therefore asking for state-location recall, not a company or field name.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Maharashtra is associated here with Mumbai High offshore, while the Barmer-Sanchor basin is located in Rajasthan.
- (B) Assam has the Upper Assam basin, but the cited Rajasthan source places Barmer-Sanchore within Rajasthan's petroliferous basins.
- (D) Gujarat is associated with the Cambay basin, whereas Barmer-Sanchore covers Barmer and part of Jalore in Rajasthan.
Concept
This tests India's petroleum geography, especially the mapping of sedimentary basins to states. It recurs in RAS because Rajasthan's Barmer-Sanchore basin is a high-yield example of the state's mineral and energy-resource base.