Question

The industry that has close relation to the Hooghly river is ___.
a)Jute
b)Cement
c)Iron and steel
d)Textiles

Answer 1

Hint: River Hooghly is a distributary of Ganga that flows through West Bengal. The river is formed by the confluence of Bhagirathi and Jalangi river and has a length of around 260km.

Complete answer: Before emptying into the Bay of Bengal, Hooghly passes through a heavily industrialised region of West Bengal.

Let us look at the options given to us.
Option A- Jute industry in West Bengal has a history that goes back to the 17th century. West Bengal accounts for 71% of land in the country that is under jute cultivation. Presently, jute from West Bengal makes up about 73%of the country’s production.
The jute industry is located near river Hooghly because of a range of factors like
-The first jute mill was set up in Rishra by the river in 1855.
-The soil near the river was fertile for jute cultivation.
-The river provided water for retting of fiber, cleaning and dyeing process of jute.
-The river also provided easy means of shipping the fiber to other places.
Kolkata now has 60 jute mills in India.
Option B- Cement industry in India was first set up in Porbandar, Gujarat. Presently, Madhya Pradesh is the largest producer of cement in India. It is followed by Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Option C- Iron and steel industry is an important industry in India. India ranks second in the world in production of iron and steel. Odisha is the largest iron ore producing state in India.
Option D- Textile industry in India is spread throughout the country. States of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu lead in production of cotton. On the other hand, the silk industry is clustered in the states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Assam.

Therefore the correct answer is option( A)

Note: Apart from West Bengal other jute producing states in India are Assam, Bihar, Odisha, Tripura, Meghalaya and Andhra Pradesh. Jute is usually grown as an intercrop between kharif and rabi seasons.