RAS question
Which mineral is primarily mined in the Jaduguda mines?
Correct answer: (D) Uranium.
The Jaduguda mines in Jharkhand are primarily associated with uranium mining by Uranium Corporation of India Limited.
Explanation
Jaduguda is not a general mineral-mining example; it is a uranium-mining site. The Jaduguda mines in Singhbhum district of Jharkhand are India's oldest and most significant uranium mines, operated by Uranium Corporation of India Limited. The Department of Atomic Energy page also refers specifically to the "Jaduguda Uranium mine" and to UCIL's operations at Jaduguda, Jharkhand. That is why uranium is the decisive identification here. The wider exam point is location-based: Jaduguda links Jharkhand's mineral geography with India's nuclear-power supply chain, so the mineral asked for is uranium, not a bulk mineral or a mica-belt association.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Mica points to the Koderma-Giridih belt in Jharkhand, while the Jaduguda site is identified with uranium mining.
- (B) Coal is associated with fields such as Jharia and Raniganj, not with the Jaduguda uranium mine.
- (C) Iron ore is linked to mining areas such as Singhbhum and Keonjhar, but Jaduguda's primary exam association is uranium.
Concept
This tests Indian mineral geography through a classic mine-mineral-location match. It recurs in RAS because Jharkhand's mineral belt, strategic minerals and nuclear-energy inputs are all high-yield map-based facts.