UPSC Prelims 2018 · Question 27 of 99
UPSC Prelims 2018 question on Non Coal Mines Auction
- ExamUPSC CSE
- Year2018
- PaperGeneral Studies Paper I
- SubjectGeography
- TopicIndian Geography
- DifficultyHard
- TypeStatement
Consider the following statements:
1. In India, State Governments do not have the power to auction non-coal mines.
2. Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand do not have gold mines.
3. Rajasthan has iron mines.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Show answer
Answer: D. 3 only
Verdict
Only statement 3 is correct, so the answer is (d) 3 only.
Statement by statement
Statement 1 is INCORRECT. Unlike coal, the auction of mining licences for non-coal minerals is conducted by the respective State Governments, so States plainly do have this power.
Statement 2 is INCORRECT. India has gold deposits spread across several States including Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan, and the governments of both Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh have auctioned gold mines in recent years.
Statement 3 is CORRECT. Iron ore mines are located at Bhilwara in Rajasthan.
Source
Indian Express report on the auction of non-coal mines, and New Indian Express reporting on gold mine auctions.
How to crack it
Statements 1 and 2 are both negatives, and negatives are fragile because a single instance destroys them. Do not try to prove that States can auction mines or that gold exists in two particular States; just ask whether any counter example is plausible, and with minerals as widely distributed as gold the answer is almost always yes. Attack the negative statements first in a resource distribution question.