Question

Where was the first paper mill established in Karnataka?
a. Mysuru
b. Bengaluru
c. Hassan
d. Bhadravathi

Answer 1

Hint: A paper mill is a factory dedicated to producing paper such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients from vegetable fibres. All paper in a paper mill was made by hand, one sheet at a time, by skilled labourers prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machines using an endless belt.

Complete solution:
 Mysore Paper Mill, or MPM, is located in the Shimoga district of Karnataka State, India, at Bhadravathi. It was established by Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wodeyar, the then Maharaja of Mysore State, in the year 1937. The business became a government business in 1977. In the year 2004, the firm received ISO certification.

MPM closed its operations in 2016. The government wants to privatise the company while the staff wants it to be revived by the government. Some staff have opted for voluntary retirement. The company has given tenders for material disposal.

Karnataka now has 17 mills that account for 5.48 per cent of India's total capacity. Locally grown bamboo and bagasse originating from the sugar mills are used by the paper industry of this state. Bhadravati, Dandeli, Nandang Aud, Belagola, Munirabad, Harihar, Mundgod, Bangalore, Mandya, Ramanagaram, and Krishnarajasagara are the main centres.

Hence, the correct answer is option d.

Note:
 India's paper industry is agro-based and needs more land to be put under eucalyptus plantations and other trees for paper making. The country's first paper mill was built at Serampore (Bengal) in 1812 but failed because of a lack of demand for paper. A new company was established in 1870 at Ballygunge, near Kolkata. The paper industry has been described as a "core industry" by the Government of India.