CDS Geography · Indian Geography — Economy, Resources and Transport
Minerals, Power and Industry
The coal companies and the States that lead in key minerals, India's power plants and dams by State, and the places and companies behind its major industries.
Why this matters
Fifteen CDS questions from 2016 to 2026. Four are four-way matches of a plant, dam or company with its State or product. The same question on India's oldest government coal company came in 2022 (II) and again in 2026 (I).
Concept 1 of 3: Coal companies and minerals
Two coal companies are easy to mix up. Coal India is the giant, made in 1975 when the coal mines were nationalised. Singareni is much older, a government company since 1920. For other minerals, CDS asks which State leads, and one or two States usually dominate.
Definition
- Singareni Collieries Company Limited (1920) is the first and oldest government-owned coal company in India. It mines the Godavari valley coalfield in Telangana.
- Coal India Limited (1975) has its headquarters in Kolkata and is the largest coal-producing company in the world. It works mines in eight States, through subsidiaries such as Mahanadi Coalfields and Eastern Coalfields.
- Neyveli Lignite Corporation (1956, now NLC India) mines lignite in Tamil Nadu.
- Bauxite: Odisha produces most of India's output (Koraput and Kalahandi). Jharkhand (Lohardaga, Gumla) is among the other producers.
- Chrysotile asbestos: India's largest deposits are in the Cuddapah (Kadapa) belt of Andhra Pradesh.
| Company or mineral | Key fact |
|---|---|
| Singareni Collieries | Oldest government coal company (1920); Godavari valley, TelanganaQ Asked twice: CDS 2022 (II) and 2026 (I). |
| Coal India Limited | Formed 1975; headquarters Kolkata; world's largest coal producer; mines in eight StatesQ CDS 2020 (I): its mines are spread over eight States, not twenty. |
| Neyveli Lignite Corporation | Formed 1956; lignite mines in Tamil Nadu |
| Bauxite | Odisha first by far; Jharkhand among the othersQ CDS 2025 (I), citing the Ministry of Mines report for 2023-24: Odisha and Jharkhand. |
| Chrysotile asbestos | Largest deposits in the Cuddapah belt, Andhra PradeshQ CDS 2022 (II): the State with chrysotile asbestos and the Neelam Sanjiva Reddy Sagar (Srisailam) project. |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2022 · CDS (II) 2022 — General Knowledge · Q1Moderate
Example 1 · Indian Geography — Economy, Resources and Transport · Minerals, Power and Industry
Which one of the following is the first and the oldest Government-owned coal mining company in India ?
Oldest is not largest
Singareni (1920) is the oldest government coal company. Coal India (1975) is the largest. Neyveli (1956) mines lignite, and Mahanadi and Eastern Coalfields are Coal India's subsidiaries.
Eight States, not twenty
Coal India is headquartered in Kolkata and is the world's largest coal producer, but its mines are in eight coal-bearing States. A figure of twenty States is false.
Concept 2 of 3: Power plants and dams
CDS gives four power plants or dams and four States and asks you to pair them. The quickest route is the river: once you know which river a dam stands on, the State usually follows. For power in general, remember that coal is still king, whatever the growth of solar and wind.
Definition
- Thermal plants (mostly coal) are India's largest source of electricity. In the mid-2010s they held about two-thirds of installed capacity; by the mid-2020s, after fast growth in solar and wind, they still held about half the capacity and produced about three-quarters of the electricity generated.
- Geothermal energy comes from hot springs: Manikaran in the Parvati valley of Himachal Pradesh and the Puga valley in Ladakh have experimental projects.
- Two dams on the Kaveri: Krishnarajasagar in Karnataka and, downstream, Mettur in Tamil Nadu.
- Salal and Baglihar are hydro projects on the Chenab in Jammu and Kashmir.
| Plant or dam | Type, river and State |
|---|---|
| Satpura (Sarni) | Thermal; Madhya Pradesh |
| Dhuvaran | Thermal; Anand district, Gujarat |
| Tanakpur | Hydro on the Sharda; Uttarakhand |
| Dabhol | Gas-based; Ratnagiri, Maharashtra |
| Cheruthoni | One of the three dams of the Idukki project; KeralaQ CDS 2018 (II): a match of Cheruthoni, Indira Sagar, Krishnarajasagar and Mettur with their States. |
| Indira Sagar | On the Narmada; Madhya Pradesh |
| Krishnarajasagar | On the Kaveri; Karnataka |
| Mettur | On the Kaveri; Tamil Nadu |
| Luhri | Hydro on the Satluj; Himachal PradeshQ CDS 2021 (I): Luhri is on the Satluj, not the Beas. |
| Manikaran | Geothermal (hot springs), Parvati valley; Himachal PradeshQ |
| Salal and Baglihar | Hydro on the Chenab; Jammu and Kashmir |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2016 · CDS (II) 2016 — General Knowledge · Q44Moderate
Example 2 · Indian Geography — Economy, Resources and Transport · Minerals, Power and Industry
Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the code given below the Lists :
Code :
| List-I (Power Plant) | List-II (State) |
|---|---|
| A. Satpura | 1. Maharashtra |
| B. Dhuvaran | 2. Uttarakhand |
| C. Tanakpur | 3. Gujarat |
| D. Dabhol | 4. Madhya Pradesh |
Tanakpur is in Uttarakhand
Tanakpur stands on the Sharda in Uttarakhand, on the Nepal border. It is not in Uttar Pradesh or Madhya Pradesh.
Cheruthoni is Kerala's
Cheruthoni is part of the Idukki project in Kerala. Mettur, its usual swap in the options, is the Kaveri dam in Tamil Nadu.
Renewables grew, coal still leads
Solar and wind capacity has grown fast, but thermal power still produces most of India's electricity. A question on the largest source wants thermal.
Concept 3 of 3: Industries and where they stand
Where a factory is built depends on its raw material. If the raw material loses a lot of weight in making the product (iron ore, sugarcane), the factory goes to the raw material. If it loses none, like raw cotton, the factory can go to the market or to cheap labour and power instead. That is why cotton mills spread far beyond the cotton fields.
Definition
- Weight-losing raw materials (iron ore, coal, sugarcane) pull industry close to the raw material: steel plants in the Chota Nagpur region, sugar mills beside the cane fields.
- Raw cotton is a pure raw material: it does not lose weight in making cloth. So cotton mills are not tied to the cotton belt, and the industry spread beyond Gujarat and Maharashtra to markets and centres of labour and power across India.
- Tourism slogans: Karnataka is 'One State Many Worlds', Kerala is 'God's Own Country', and Madhya Pradesh is 'The Heart of Incredible India'.
| Place or company | Industry |
|---|---|
| Bongaigaon (Assam) | Oil refinery and petrochemicalsQ CDS 2016 (II): a match of Bongaigaon, Koraput, Pinjore and Sirpur with their industries. |
| Koraput (Odisha) | Aircraft engines (Hindustan Aeronautics, Sunabeda) |
| Pinjore (Haryana) | Machine tools (HMT) |
| Sirpur (Telangana) | Paper |
| TISCO (Jamshedpur) | Iron and steelQ CDS 2017 (II): a match of TISCO, BALCO, BPCL and BEL with their products. |
| BALCO (Korba, Chhattisgarh) | Aluminium |
| BPCL | Petroleum refining and chemicals |
| BEL | Electronics, mainly for defence |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2025 · CDS (II) 2025 — General Knowledge · Q99Moderate
Example 3 · Indian Geography — Economy, Resources and Transport · Minerals, Power and Industry
Consider the following statements with reference to the Cotton textile industry in India :
1. Cotton textile industry has, over time, spread to other parts of the country, beyond Gujarat and Maharashtra.
2. Raw cotton is not a weight-losing raw material.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Koraput makes aircraft engines
Koraput in Odisha has Hindustan Aeronautics' aero-engine division. Sirpur makes paper and Pinjore makes machine tools.
Cotton does not lose weight
Raw cotton is a pure raw material, so it is not weight-losing. That is why the cotton textile industry could spread away from the cotton-growing States.
Summary — formulas & gotchas at a glance
A revision cheat-sheet for the formulas and gotchas above. Click any concept name to jump back to its full explanation.
Reference tables (3)
Coal companies and minerals5 rows
| Company or mineral | Key fact |
|---|---|
| Singareni Collieries | Oldest government coal company (1920); Godavari valley, TelanganaQ Asked twice: CDS 2022 (II) and 2026 (I). |
| Coal India Limited | Formed 1975; headquarters Kolkata; world's largest coal producer; mines in eight StatesQ CDS 2020 (I): its mines are spread over eight States, not twenty. |
| Neyveli Lignite Corporation | Formed 1956; lignite mines in Tamil Nadu |
| Bauxite | Odisha first by far; Jharkhand among the othersQ CDS 2025 (I), citing the Ministry of Mines report for 2023-24: Odisha and Jharkhand. |
| Chrysotile asbestos | Largest deposits in the Cuddapah belt, Andhra PradeshQ CDS 2022 (II): the State with chrysotile asbestos and the Neelam Sanjiva Reddy Sagar (Srisailam) project. |
Power plants and dams11 rows
| Plant or dam | Type, river and State |
|---|---|
| Satpura (Sarni) | Thermal; Madhya Pradesh |
| Dhuvaran | Thermal; Anand district, Gujarat |
| Tanakpur | Hydro on the Sharda; Uttarakhand |
| Dabhol | Gas-based; Ratnagiri, Maharashtra |
| Cheruthoni | One of the three dams of the Idukki project; KeralaQ CDS 2018 (II): a match of Cheruthoni, Indira Sagar, Krishnarajasagar and Mettur with their States. |
| Indira Sagar | On the Narmada; Madhya Pradesh |
| Krishnarajasagar | On the Kaveri; Karnataka |
| Mettur | On the Kaveri; Tamil Nadu |
| Luhri | Hydro on the Satluj; Himachal PradeshQ CDS 2021 (I): Luhri is on the Satluj, not the Beas. |
| Manikaran | Geothermal (hot springs), Parvati valley; Himachal PradeshQ |
| Salal and Baglihar | Hydro on the Chenab; Jammu and Kashmir |
Industries and where they stand8 rows
| Place or company | Industry |
|---|---|
| Bongaigaon (Assam) | Oil refinery and petrochemicalsQ CDS 2016 (II): a match of Bongaigaon, Koraput, Pinjore and Sirpur with their industries. |
| Koraput (Odisha) | Aircraft engines (Hindustan Aeronautics, Sunabeda) |
| Pinjore (Haryana) | Machine tools (HMT) |
| Sirpur (Telangana) | Paper |
| TISCO (Jamshedpur) | Iron and steelQ CDS 2017 (II): a match of TISCO, BALCO, BPCL and BEL with their products. |
| BALCO (Korba, Chhattisgarh) | Aluminium |
| BPCL | Petroleum refining and chemicals |
| BEL | Electronics, mainly for defence |
Watch out for (7)
- Oldest is not largest→ Coal companies and minerals
- Eight States, not twenty→ Coal companies and minerals
- Tanakpur is in Uttarakhand→ Power plants and dams
- Cheruthoni is Kerala's→ Power plants and dams
- Renewables grew, coal still leads→ Power plants and dams
- Koraput makes aircraft engines→ Industries and where they stand
- Cotton does not lose weight→ Industries and where they stand
Test yourself on Indian Geography — Economy, Resources and Transport
20 past CDS questions from this chapter, timed at 20 minutes and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.