Question

Karnataka produces ____________ of total gold in India.
(A) 60%
(B) 70%
(C) 80%
(D) 90%

Answer 1

Hint: The state of Karnataka is present in India's south-western zone. It can be classified as comparatively one of the biggest states in Southern India in the area. Gold is a shiny, ductile and malleable metal primarily used in the production of jewellery. There are a variety of famous gold mines available in the state of Karnataka.

Complete answer:
India's passion for jewellery may be traced back to about five thousand years to the period of the Indus Valley Civilization, which accounted for roughly one-third of worldwide gold consumption.

In 2017, the South Asian country produced around 1,600 kg of gold. The country's gold reserves were above 600 metric tons in the year of 2019, but they are rapidly dwindling. The rising consumption of gold and jewellery by the middle-class people was anticipated to be a key reason in this rising demand.

The Indian state of Karnataka is said to be India's biggest gold producing states. The state has 17.5 million tonnes of retrievable gold ore reserves, primarily in certain districts like Kolar, Hassan, Dharwad, and Raichur. But more gold reserves have also been reported such as the districts of Belgaum, Gulbarga, Mysore, Chikmagalur, and Shimoga.

To elaborate about gold in Karnataka, we can talk about the Kolar Gold Fields and Hutti Gold mines.
So Kolar Gold Fields (K.G.F.) is a location where mining of gold took place, it was present in the Kolar district of Karnataka, India. The Kolar gold mines were recognised nationally in the year 1956, and they produced more than 900 tonnes of gold. The Indian government dismantled them on February 28, 2001, for environmental and economic concerns.

Then we have the Hutti Gold mine, it is perhaps one of the world's oldest metal mines, going back to the Pre-Ashokan period, with ancient miners working down to a depth of almost 2300 feet. Between 1902 and 1919, about 7,400 kg of gold were extracted from highly rich ore, with an average yield of 19 g/metric tonne. The majority of the gold ore came from the main mine, which reached a depth of around 1,100 meters below the surface. Due to technical challenges and a lack of funding, the industry ceased in 1920.

So by factual inference, we can say that a majority of Indian gold production stems in Karnataka’s gold mines and the approximate value of products found in Karnataka is 80%. Evidently, the percentage of gold production in Karnataka is 80% and so the options (A) 60%, (B) 70% and (D) 90% can be rejected since they have different values of percentage given. The option that contains 80% as the answer is an option (C).

Therefore the correct answer is an option (C) 80%, that is, “Karnataka produces 80% of the total gold in India”.

Note: Since the metal gold, in general, is an excellent conductor of electrical energy and heat, it can be noted that most reagents do not affect this metal. The material of gold is not prone to corrosion easily. Another soft metal may be alloyed with gold in order to increase its strength. The price of this metal varies from country to country due to difference in trade.