Which of the following two States of India have more than 50 percent of the total country's coal reserves? (i) Jharkhand (ii) Madhya Pradesh (iii) Odisha (iv) Chhattisgarh
- (a)(i) and (ii)
- (b)(i) and (iii)
- (c)(iii) and (iv)
- (d)(ii) and (iii)
Correct — B, (i) and (iii): Jharkhand and Odisha. These are India's two largest coal-bearing states by geological reserves — Jharkhand's coalfields (Jharia, Bokaro, North Karanpura) hold the single largest share of the country's coal reserves, and Odisha's coalfields (Talcher, IB Valley) hold the next-largest share. Together, Jharkhand and Odisha account for just over half of India's total coal reserves — more than any other two-state combination, including pairings with Madhya Pradesh or Chhattisgarh.
- (a)(i) and (ii) — Madhya Pradesh (Singrauli coalfield) is a genuine coal-reserve state, but its share trails well behind Odisha's — pairing it with Jharkhand does not reach the combined reserve share of Jharkhand and Odisha.
- (c)(iii) and (iv) — Chhattisgarh (Korba coalfield) holds substantial coal reserves, but less than Jharkhand — this pairing leaves out Jharkhand, the single largest reserve-holding state, understating the true top pairing.
- (d)(ii) and (iii) — Pairs Odisha, correctly one of the top two, with Madhya Pradesh instead of Jharkhand — Jharkhand's reserve share exceeds Madhya Pradesh's by a wide margin.
India's coal reserves are concentrated in the Gondwana coalfields of the Chota Nagpur Plateau belt, spanning Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, and Madhya Pradesh. Jharkhand and Odisha are consistently the two largest states by geological coal reserves, together holding just over half of the country's total.
MPPSC likes swapping a smaller coal-reserve state (Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh) into the pair to test whether you know the actual top two by reserves — Jharkhand and Odisha — rather than just recognising 'coal states' generically. Note the question asks specifically about reserves, not production or exports, which can rank states slightly differently.
- Jharkhand holds India's single largest share of coal reserves (major fields: Jharia, Bokaro, North Karanpura).
- Odisha holds India's second-largest share of coal reserves (major fields: Talcher, IB Valley).
- Jharkhand and Odisha together account for just over half of India's total coal reserves.
- Madhya Pradesh (Singrauli) and Chhattisgarh (Korba) are significant coal-reserve states but rank below Jharkhand and Odisha.
- Assuming Chhattisgarh or Madhya Pradesh outranks Odisha in coal reserves — Odisha is consistently the #2 reserve-holding state after Jharkhand.
- Confusing reserve ranking with production or export ranking — the top-2 by reserves (Jharkhand, Odisha) is the fact tested here.
MPPSC/UPSC test the exact top-2/top-3 ranking of mineral-reserve states (coal, bauxite, iron ore) — memorise the ranked list, not just 'which states have the mineral.'
No directly related past UPSC PYQ was found — the store's coal-related questions test India's import rationale, nationalisation history, or mineral-source pairs for other minerals (e.g. copper/nickel/tungsten), not the state-wise coal reserve ranking tested here.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which Indian state holds the single largest share of the country's coal reserves?
- (a)Odisha
- (b)Jharkhand
- (c)Chhattisgarh
- (d)West Bengal
Answer(b) Jharkhand — its coalfields (Jharia, Bokaro, North Karanpura) give it the largest reserve share.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Talcher and IB Valley, among India's major coalfields, are located in which state?
- (a)Jharkhand
- (b)Chhattisgarh
- (c)Odisha
- (d)West Bengal
Answer(c) Odisha.