Which of the following pairs of minerals and its leading producing state in India is correctly matched?

Question

Which of the following pairs of minerals and its leading producing state in India is correctly matched?

1. A. Bauxite – Odisha (Correct answer)
2. B. Limestone – Jharkhand
3. C. Mica – Rajasthan
4. D. Copper – Uttar Pradesh

Correct Answer

Option A — Bauxite – Odisha

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is Bauxite – Odisha.

Key Points

• Odisha is India's leading producer of bauxite, the principal ore of aluminium, with major deposits in the Kalahandi and Koraput districts.
• The other pairings are wrong:
  • Limestone — led by Rajasthan, not Jharkhand
  • Mica — led by Andhra Pradesh, with Jharkhand and Bihar historically important, not Rajasthan
  • Copper — led by Rajasthan (Khetri belt), not Uttar Pradesh

Additional Information

• Odisha also leads in iron ore and chromite, making it India's most mineral-rich state overall.
• Bauxite is refined to alumina and then smelted into aluminium, a process requiring very large amounts of electricity — which is why smelters cluster near coal-based power.
• India's mineral belts: the north-eastern plateau (Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal), the south-western belt (Karnataka, Goa) and the north-western belt (Rajasthan, Gujarat).
• Match-the-pair mineral questions reward learning the leading producer for each of the dozen commonly asked minerals rather than full production tables.