Mineral and Energy Resources — Practice Questions
UPSC Prelims-pattern practice questions on India's minerals and energy with explanations — oil fields, MMDR 2023, Bailadila, geothermal, coal types.
Questions
These are original UPSC-pattern practice questions. Attempt each one before revealing the answer.
Consider the following pairs:
| Oil field | Location |
|---|---|
| 1. Digboi | Assam |
| 2. Ankleshwar | Gujarat |
| 3. Mumbai High | Offshore Maharashtra |
| 4. Mangala | Andhra Pradesh |
How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
Solution
Digboi (Assam), Ankleshwar (Gujarat) and Mumbai High (offshore) are correct. Mangala is in the Barmer basin of Rajasthan, not Andhra Pradesh. So three.
Answer: C
Consider the following statements about the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2023:
- It removed lithium from the list of atomic minerals.
- It empowered the Central Government to auction mineral concessions for specified critical and strategic minerals.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Solution
Both are correct. The 2023 amendment removed six minerals — lithium, beryllium, titanium, niobium, tantalum and zirconium — from the atomic minerals list, opening them to private exploration, and empowered the Centre to auction concessions for listed critical and strategic minerals.
Answer: A
The Bailadila hills, known for high-grade haematite iron ore, are located in
Solution
Bailadila is in the Bastar region (Dantewada) of Chhattisgarh, part of the Durg–Bastar–Chandrapur belt; its ore is exported via Visakhapatnam. Odisha and Jharkhand have Badampahar, Noamundi and Gua; Karnataka has Kudremukh and the Ballari belt.
Answer: B
The Puga valley, identified for its geothermal energy potential, is located in
Solution
The Puga valley is in Ladakh and is India’s best-known geothermal site. Manikaran in Himachal Pradesh is the other well-known hot-spring site — hence the tempting wrong option.
Answer: D
Consider the following statements:
- Anthracite is the highest-quality coal with the highest carbon content.
- Most of India’s coal is anthracite.
- Lignite has a lower carbon content than bituminous coal.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Solution
Statements 1 and 3 are correct — carbon content falls from anthracite → bituminous → lignite → peat. Statement 2 is wrong — most Indian coal is Gondwana bituminous coal; anthracite occurs only in small quantities.
Answer: C
Mains
What are critical minerals? Discuss why securing them is central to India’s energy transition, and the steps taken in this direction.
Solution
Introduction: Critical minerals are minerals essential to economic development and national security whose supply is at risk because of scarcity or geographic concentration of reserves and processing. The Ministry of Mines listed 30 such minerals in June 2023, including lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite and rare earth elements.
Body — why they matter:
- Batteries for electric vehicles and grid storage need lithium, cobalt, nickel and graphite.
- Wind turbines and electric motors need rare earth magnets; solar cells need silicon and other minerals.
- Supply and processing are concentrated in a few countries, creating strategic vulnerability.
- India’s non-fossil capacity goals (about 50% of installed power capacity by 2030 under the updated NDC) depend on these inputs.
Body — steps taken:
- MMDR Amendment Act, 2023: lithium and five other minerals removed from the atomic list; the Centre can auction critical mineral blocks.
- Exploration by GSI — lithium inferred resources in Reasi, J&K (2023).
- National Critical Mineral Mission (January 2025).
- Overseas acquisition through KABIL (Khanij Bidesh India Ltd) and international partnerships.
Way forward: faster exploration and auctions, domestic processing and refining, recycling of batteries and e-waste, and diversified international supply partnerships.
Conclusion: In the energy transition, mineral security becomes as important as oil security was in the twentieth century; India must build it at home and abroad.