RAS question
Which plateau in India is known as the 'mineral heartland'?
Correct answer: (A) Chota Nagpur Plateau.
The Chota Nagpur Plateau is known as India's mineral heartland because it is exceptionally rich in coal, iron ore, copper, mica, bauxite and manganese.
Explanation
The Chota Nagpur Plateau lies across Jharkhand and adjoining parts of Odisha, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh, and is known as India's "mineral heartland" or the "Ruhr of India". The Chief Minister's Office, Government of Jharkhand gives the core reason: Jharkhand is described as being endowed with a wide range of minerals, including iron ore, coal, copper ore, mica and bauxite, and as a leading producer of mineral wealth in India. The plateau's concentration of major metallic and non-metallic minerals makes Chota Nagpur fit the phrase far better than broader or more agriculture-oriented plateau regions.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) The Deccan Plateau has minerals, but Chota Nagpur is the richer and standard 'mineral heartland' region.
- (C) The Meghalaya Plateau is not a major all-India mineral heartland and has more limited mining than Chota Nagpur.
- (D) The Malwa Plateau is associated with agriculture rather than the dense concentration of coal, iron ore, copper, mica, bauxite and manganese.
Concept
Indian physiography and mineral-resource distribution are closely linked in the Geography of India syllabus. RAS repeatedly asks map-based resource questions because minerals, industry location and regional development are connected themes.