Match List – I with List – II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists.
List – I (Mineral Exploration Agencies)
A. Oil and Natural Gas Commission
B. Mineral Exploration Corp

Question

Match List – I with List – II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists.
List – I (Mineral Exploration Agencies)
A. Oil and Natural Gas Commission
B. Mineral Exploration Corporation Ltd.
C. National Mineral Development Corporation
D. National Aluminium Company Limited
List – II (Headquarters)
1. Bhubaneswar
2. Hyderabad
3. Nagpur
4. New Delhi
Codes :

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — C, A-4 B-3 C-2 D-1. The four public-sector mineral/energy agencies map to their headquarters as: A. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) → New Delhi (4); B. Mineral Exploration Corporation Ltd. (MECL) → Nagpur (3); C. National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC) → Hyderabad (2); D. National Aluminium Company Ltd. (NALCO) → Bhubaneswar (1). Three of these headquarters — MECL at Nagpur, NMDC at Hyderabad and NALCO at Bhubaneswar — are fixed and well known, which alone pins ONGC to the only remaining choice, New Delhi. ONGC's registered/corporate headquarters is in New Delhi (Deendayal Urja Bhawan, Vasant Kunj), although Dehradun remains a major operational and R&D centre for the corporation. That gives A-4 B-3 C-2 D-1 → option (c).

Why the other options are wrong — (a) Wrong — it swaps B and C. MECL is headquartered at Nagpur (not Hyderabad) and NMDC at Hyderabad (not Nagpur), so B-2/C-3 is incorrect.  (b) Wrong — almost every pair is misplaced: ONGC is not at Bhubaneswar, MECL not at Hyderabad, NMDC not at New Delhi and NALCO not at Nagpur.  (d) Wrong — MECL-Nagpur (B-3) and NALCO-Bhubaneswar (D-1) are right, but it puts ONGC at Hyderabad (A-2) and NMDC at New Delhi (C-4); ONGC is at New Delhi and NMDC at Hyderabad.

Concept: These are four Central Public Sector Enterprises tied to India's minerals and energy sector. ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation) is the maharatna oil and gas explorer; MECL (Mineral Exploration Corporation Ltd.) does detailed exploration and drilling of solid minerals under the Ministry of Mines; NMDC (National Mineral Development Corporation) is India's largest iron-ore producer; and NALCO (National Aluminium Company Ltd.) is an integrated bauxite-alumina-aluminium producer. Matching each to its headquarters city is a recurring UPPSC/UPSC 'organisation ↔ location' exercise.

State PCS 2021 Q47 — Economy PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2021 Q47 — Economy PYQ with Answer