Was RAS Pre 2023 Q6 deleted?

Yes. RPSC deleted this question in its answer key, so no option is marked correct.

RAS Pre 2023, held on 1 October 2023. Question text as printed in RPSC's booklet; answer as per RPSC's final answer key.

RPSC deleted this question. RPSC’s answer key marks no option correct for this question.

Which are the largest Bauxite and Mica producing States in India ? Bauxite – Mica

(1)Madhya Pradesh – Maharashtra
(2)Chhattisgarh – Odisha
(3)Odisha – Andhra Pradesh
(4)Jharkhand – Rajasthan

Answer

RPSC deleted this question in its final answer key.

Why

RPSC deleted this question in its final answer key, so no option is marked correct.

The stem asks for a pair: the largest bauxite-producing State and the largest mica-producing State. The Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) publishes state-wise production in its Indian Minerals Yearbook (IMYB).

Bauxite: IMYB 2021 gives India's 2020-21 production as 20.37 million tonnes. Odisha produced 15.57 million tonnes of it, about 76 percent. Gujarat and Jharkhand followed, at about 1.50 million tonnes each.

Mica is reported differently. Under a Government of India notification of 10 February 2015, mica is a minor mineral, so producers report to the States rather than to IBM.

IMYB 2021 prints mica production only for the States whose data it could gather: for 2020-21, Rajasthan 17,719 tonnes and Andhra Pradesh 16,717 tonnes.

Resources are a separate measure. As on 1 April 2015, Andhra Pradesh held 41 percent of India's mica resources and Rajasthan 28 percent.

Why the others are wrong

(1)
Madhya Pradesh – Maharashtra — This option pairs Madhya Pradesh for bauxite with Maharashtra for mica.
Per IMYB 2021, Madhya Pradesh produced 6.22 lakh tonnes of bauxite in 2020-21 and Maharashtra 4.71 lakh tonnes. IMYB's mica table has no production figure for Maharashtra, which held 13 percent of India's mica resources as on 1 April 2015.
(2)
Chhattisgarh – Odisha — This option pairs Chhattisgarh for bauxite with Odisha for mica.
Chhattisgarh produced 7.15 lakh tonnes of bauxite in 2020-21 and held 20 percent of bauxite resources as on 1 April 2020. Odisha held 17 percent of India's mica resources as on 1 April 2015, but IMYB 2021's mica production table carries no Odisha figure.
(3)
Odisha – Andhra Pradesh — This option pairs Odisha for bauxite with Andhra Pradesh for mica.
Odisha produced about 76 percent of India's bauxite in 2020-21. Andhra Pradesh held the largest share of mica resources, 41 percent as on 1 April 2015, and reported 16,717 tonnes of mica for 2020-21.
(4)
Jharkhand – Rajasthan — This option pairs Jharkhand for bauxite with Rajasthan for mica.
Jharkhand produced 14.97 lakh tonnes of bauxite in 2020-21. Rajasthan reported 17,719 tonnes of mica for 2020-21, the higher of the two State figures in IMYB 2021's mica table, and held 28 percent of mica resources as on 1 April 2015.

Concept

Bauxite is an aluminous rock with hydrated aluminium oxide as its main constituent. IMYB 2021 calls it the principal ore of aluminium, and it also serves the refractory and chemical industries.

Mica is a group of sheet minerals; muscovite and phlogopite are the commercially important ones. It splits into very thin sheets, resists heat and has high dielectric strength; natural sheet mica is used in electrical and electronic industries.

Production and resources rank States differently. As on 1 April 2020, Odisha held 41 percent of India's bauxite resources and Andhra Pradesh 12 percent, yet Andhra Pradesh has no line in the 2020-21 bauxite production table.

RPSC's 2023 Prelims syllabus lists "Major Minerals- Iron ore, Manganese, Bauxite, Mica" under the Geography of India. State shares of production and resources fall under that head.

Mica touches Rajasthan directly. The state held 28 percent of India's mica resources as on 1 April 2015 and reported 17,719 tonnes of production in 2020-21.

Every ranking belongs to a year and a source. IBM's bauxite figures come from mines reporting to it, while mica figures since 2015 depend on what individual States supply.

Key facts

India's bauxite production in 2020-21 was 20.37 million tonnes; Odisha contributed about 76% (IBM, Indian Minerals Yearbook 2021).
Bauxite production 2020-21: Odisha 15.57 Mt; Gujarat 1.50 Mt; Jharkhand 1.50 Mt; Chhattisgarh 0.72 Mt; Madhya Pradesh 0.62 Mt; Maharashtra 0.47 Mt.
Mica was declared a minor mineral by notification S.O. 423(E) of 10 February 2015; producers now report to State governments, not IBM.
IMYB 2021's mica table gives 2020-21 production for two States: Rajasthan 17,719 tonnes and Andhra Pradesh 16,717 tonnes.
As on 1 April 2015, Andhra Pradesh held 41% of India's mica resources, Rajasthan 28%, Odisha 17% and Maharashtra 13%.

The four pairs against IMYB 2021 figures (2020-21)

(1) Madhya Pradesh – Maharashtra→0.62 Mt bauxite – no mica production figure

(2) Chhattisgarh – Odisha→0.72 Mt bauxite – no mica production figure

(3) Odisha – Andhra Pradesh→15.57 Mt bauxite – 16,717 t mica

(4) Jharkhand – Rajasthan→1.50 Mt bauxite – 17,719 t mica

Bauxite from mines reporting to IBM; mica only for the States whose figures IMYB 2021 could gather. RPSC deleted the question.

Study next

Major bauxite mining districts of Odisha, Jharkhand and GujaratMica belts of Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and JharkhandMajor and minor minerals under the MMDR Act, 1957Aluminium production and alumina refineries in IndiaRajasthan's share in India's non-metallic mineral production

Common traps

Resources and production are different lists. Andhra Pradesh held 12% of bauxite resources as on 1 April 2020 but has no line in the 2020-21 bauxite production table.
Gujarat (1,497,712 t) and Jharkhand (1,497,473 t) produced almost identical bauxite in 2020-21; their order rests on a gap of 239 tonnes.
Since 2015 mica production is reported to States, and IMYB 2021 prints figures for only two. A mica ranking depends on which States reported.

A question can pair the leading producer States of two minerals, as this one does.

A question can also ask for the order of States by production of one mineral, match minerals to mining areas, or ask where a mineral's resources are concentrated.

Related PYQs

UnlockIAS will link similar questions from RAS Pre 2021 and 2016 here once those papers are published on this site.

Practice

practice — not a real PYQ
According to the Indian Minerals Yearbook 2021, which State was the leading producer of bauxite in 2020-21 ?
- (a)Odisha
- (b)Gujarat
- (c)Jharkhand
- (d)Chhattisgarh
Answer(1) — Odisha produced 15.57 million tonnes, about 76% of India's 20.37 million tonnes. Option (2), Gujarat, and option (3), Jharkhand, produced about 1.50 million tonnes each. Option (4), Chhattisgarh, produced 0.72 million tonnes.
practice — not a real PYQ
By Government of India notification S.O. 423(E) dated 10 February 2015, mica was declared a –
- (a)Minor mineral
- (b)Prescribed substance
- (c)Fuel mineral
- (d)Major mineral
Answer(1) — IMYB 2021 records that the notification declared mica a minor mineral, so producers report production to the States and not to IBM. Option (2), prescribed substance, is a category under the Atomic Energy Act, 1962. Options (3) and (4) are not what the notification declared.

The booklet also prints a fifth choice under this question: “(5) Question not attempted”. Options (1)–(4) above are the four answer options.