Which is not a correct match ? Nuclear Power Plant – State
- (1)Kalpakkam – Tamil Nadu
- (2)Kakrapar – Gujarat
- (3)Kaiga – Tamil Nadu
- (4)Narora – Uttar Pradesh
Answer
Why
Correct — option (3), Kaiga – Tamil Nadu.
The stem asks for the pair that is not a correct match. Kaiga Generating Station is in Karnataka, in Uttara Kannada district. Pairing it with Tamil Nadu is wrong, so Kaiga – Tamil Nadu is the answer.
The other three pairs are correct. Kalpakkam, home of the Madras Atomic Power Station, is in Tamil Nadu. Kakrapar Atomic Power Station is in Gujarat. Narora Atomic Power Station is in Uttar Pradesh.
The state name alone does not expose the error, because Tamil Nadu does host nuclear stations, at Kalpakkam and Kudankulam. Kaiga, Kakrapar and Kalpakkam also begin with the same sound, so each name has to be tied to its own state.
Tie each plant to its own state: Kaiga is Karnataka, Kakrapar is Gujarat, Kalpakkam is Tamil Nadu.
Why the others are wrong
- (1)Kalpakkam – Tamil Nadu — This pair is correct, so it cannot be the answer to a "not a correct match" question.
Kalpakkam lies on the coast south of Chennai and hosts the Madras Atomic Power Station, with two 220 MWe pressurised heavy water reactor units. It is also home to the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research.
- (2)Kakrapar – Gujarat — This pair is correct. Kakrapar Atomic Power Station is in Gujarat.
NPCIL lists four units there: two of 220 MWe and two of 700 MWe. The 700 MWe units, of indigenous design, entered commercial operation in June 2023 and March 2024. RPSC's 2021 paper also tested Kakrapar, as an atomic energy site.
- (4)Narora – Uttar Pradesh — This pair is correct. Narora Atomic Power Station is in Uttar Pradesh, on the Ganga in Bulandshahr district.
It has two 220 MWe pressurised heavy water reactor units. Because the pairing is true, it is a distractor in a question that asks for the wrong match.
Concept
India's operating nuclear power stations are run by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL). Most of their units are Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs), which use natural uranium as fuel and heavy water as moderator and coolant.
As of February 2025, NPCIL's operating stations are at Tarapur (Maharashtra), Rawatbhata (Rajasthan), Kalpakkam and Kudankulam (Tamil Nadu), Narora (Uttar Pradesh), Kakrapar (Gujarat) and Kaiga (Karnataka).
Two stations differ in reactor type. Kudankulam's two 1,000 MWe units are Pressurised Water Reactors (PWRs) built with Russian cooperation, and Tarapur's first two units are Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs).
RPSC's 2024 Prelims syllabus lists "Power Resources- Conventional & Non-Conventional" under the Geography of India, and again under the Geography of Rajasthan. Nuclear stations belong to both heads: Rajasthan's own station is at Rawatbhata in Chittorgarh district, on the Chambal.
Nuclear power supplies a small share of India's electricity. The stations need large volumes of cooling water and sit on coasts, as at Tarapur, Kalpakkam and Kudankulam, or beside rivers and reservoirs, as at Narora and Rawatbhata.
Place names that sound alike make the map easy to blur. Kaiga, Kakrapar and Kalpakkam need to be fixed to their states one by one.
Key facts
- Kaiga Generating Station, with four 220 MWe PHWR units, is in Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka.
- Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu hosts the Madras Atomic Power Station, with two 220 MWe PHWR units.
- Kakrapar Atomic Power Station in Gujarat has two 220 MWe and two 700 MWe units; the 700 MWe units began commercial operation in June 2023 and March 2024.
- Narora Atomic Power Station in Uttar Pradesh has two 220 MWe PHWR units.
- The Rajasthan Atomic Power Station is at Rawatbhata in Chittorgarh district, on the Chambal.
Three true pairs and one false pair; the false pair, option (3), is the answer.
Study next
Common traps
- The stem asks for the pair that is not correct. The three true pairs are the distractors, and the single false pair is the answer.
- Kaiga, Kakrapar and Kalpakkam all begin with "Ka". Fix each to its own state: Karnataka, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.
- Tamil Nadu does host two nuclear stations, Kalpakkam and Kudankulam, so "Tamil Nadu" in a pair looks right on its face. Check the plant, not the state.
A question can pair power plants with states or districts and ask for the wrong match, as this one does.
A question can also match sites to energy types — nuclear, solar, wind, geothermal — ask which reactor type a station uses, or ask where Rajasthan's own power stations stand.
Related PYQs
UnlockIAS will link similar questions from RAS Pre 2023 and 2021 here once those papers are published on this site.
Practice
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which is not a correct match ? Nuclear Power Plant – State
- (a)Tarapur – Maharashtra
- (b)Rawatbhata – Rajasthan
- (c)Kudankulam – Karnataka
- (d)Narora – Uttar Pradesh
Answer(3) — Kudankulam is in Tamil Nadu, not Karnataka, so this pair is wrong. Option (1), Tarapur, is in Maharashtra. Option (2), Rawatbhata, is in Rajasthan. Option (4), Narora, is in Uttar Pradesh. Those three pairs are correct. - practice — not a real PYQ
The Rajasthan Atomic Power Station at Rawatbhata is located in which district ?
- (a)Kota
- (b)Chittorgarh
- (c)Bundi
- (d)Jhalawar
Answer(2) — Rawatbhata is in Chittorgarh district, on the Chambal. Option (1), Kota, is the nearest large city, downstream on the same river, which makes it tempting. Options (3) Bundi and (4) Jhalawar are Hadoti districts that do not contain Rawatbhata.