Question

Which state is the largest producer of bauxite in India?
a. Andhra Pradesh
b. Goa
c. Bihar
d. Odisha

Answer 1

Hint:
 Bauxite is one of the main ores of aluminum. Aluminum is one of the most important non-ferrous metals used in the modern industry. Bauxite is aluminous rocks containing hydrated aluminum oxide as the main constituent. They also have iron oxide, silica, and titania in varying proportions. Bayer process is used to produce alumina from Bauxite.

Complete solution:
India is the 4th largest producer of bauxite in the world. Bauxite is associated with laterite rocks. It is found mainly in tertiary deposits. Deccan plateau in peninsular India is extensively rich in it. There are abundant bauxite reserves in the country but as they are located in heavily forested areas, inhabited by indigenous people; mining is not sustainable in most of these areas. Major bauxite resources are concentrated on the East Coast of India, mainly Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.

The ranking of states in terms of bauxite resources is as follows:
Odisha (53%)
Andhra Pradesh (16%)
Gujarat (8%)
Jharkhand (5%)
Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Chhattisgarh (4% each)

Important mines of bauxite in Odisha are Kalahandi, Sambalpur, Bolangir, and Koraput.

 Principal Bauxite producing mines in India are Panchpatmali (Odisha), Chachandi (Madhya Pradesh), Mainpat (Chhattisgarh), Asota- Mevasa (Gujrat), Durgamanwadi (Maharashtra).

Hence, the correct answer is option D.

Note:
The estimated bauxite reserve in the world is 28 billion tonnes. Australia is the major producer of Bauxite in the world accounting for about 30% of total world production. It is followed by China (25%), Brazil (14%), India (8%), and Guinea (7%).