Which of the following statements regarding iron ore in India is not correct?

Question

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — B is the statement that is NOT correct. Odisha and Jharkhand are genuinely India's two leading iron-ore States, but claiming they ALONE hold about 80% of the national total overstates their combined share — that magnitude is reached only once Chhattisgarh and Karnataka are counted alongside them. The direction of the claim (Odisha/Jharkhand lead) is right; the scale (80% from just these two) is exaggerated, which is what makes the statement incorrect.

Why the other options are wrong — (a) This statement IS correct — India's iron ore occurs mainly as haematite and magnetite, so picking it as 'not correct' would be wrong.  (c) This statement IS correct — the Bellary-Hospet belt in Karnataka is a well-known iron-ore mining area, so picking it as 'not correct' would be wrong.  (d) This statement IS correct — Mayurbhanj (e.g. the Gurumahisani and Badampahar mines) is a major iron-ore-bearing district of Odisha, so picking it as 'not correct' would be wrong.

Concept: India's iron ore is concentrated in the Odisha-Jharkhand-Chhattisgarh-Karnataka belt, occurring mainly as haematite and magnetite. Odisha (districts such as Mayurbhanj, Sundargarh and Keonjhar) and Jharkhand are the largest reserve-holding States, but the commonly cited ~80% share of national reserves is reached only when Chhattisgarh and Karnataka are added to Odisha and Jharkhand — not from these two States alone.

State PCS 2022 Q54 — Geography PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2022 Q54 — Geography PYQ with Answer