Consider the following statements:
1. Cotton textile mills have been established in the Malwa Plateau of Madhya Pradesh.
2. The Malwa Plateau is covered with black soil.
Select the correct answer from

Question

Consider the following statements:
1. Cotton textile mills have been established in the Malwa Plateau of Madhya Pradesh.
2. The Malwa Plateau is covered with black soil.
Select the correct answer from the codes given below:

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — D, both statements are correct. The Malwa Plateau — the basalt (Deccan Trap) upland of western Madhya Pradesh around Indore, Ujjain, Dewas, Mandsaur and Ratlam — is covered with black (regur/cotton) soil, formed by the weathering of volcanic basalt rock. That black soil's fine texture and moisture retention historically made the region a strong cotton-growing belt, and cotton textile mills were established there (notably in Indore, from the early 20th century) to process the local crop.

Why the other options are wrong — (a) Understates the facts — the Malwa Plateau's black soil cover (statement 2) is also correct, not just the textile-mills claim.  (b) Understates the facts — cotton textile mills genuinely were established in the Malwa region (statement 1 is also correct), not just the soil claim.  (c) Wrong on both counts — the Malwa Plateau does carry black soil, and cotton mills were indeed set up there; both statements are factually established.

Concept: The Malwa Plateau sits on Deccan Trap basalt; weathering of this volcanic rock produces black soil (regur/cotton soil) — rich in clay and moisture-retentive, ideal for cotton cultivation. That agricultural base historically supported a cotton-textile industry in the region, with mills established in cities like Indore from the early 1900s.

State PCS 2021 Q85 — Madhya Pradesh GK PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2021 Q85 — Madhya Pradesh GK PYQ with Answer