UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — India Accelerates Rare Earth and Lithium Exploration; Domestic Production Capacity of Rare Earth Permanent Magnet to Reach 5,000 Tonnes by 2030: Dr. Jitendra Singh in Lok Sabha

Q1. The 'Scheme to Promote Manufacturing of Sintered Rare Earth Permanent Magnets' is implemented through global tendering by which one of the following Union Ministries?

  • A. Ministry of Heavy Industries
  • B. Ministry of Mines
  • C. Department of Atomic Energy
  • D. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology

Q2. Under the graded (tiered) liability framework introduced by the SHANTI Act, 2025, the maximum operator liability limit is fixed at:

  • A. ₹3,000 crore
  • B. ₹1,500 crore
  • C. ₹2,000 crore
  • D. ₹100 crore

Q3. Khanij Bidesh India Limited (KABIL) functions under the administrative aegis of which one of the following Ministries?

  • A. Ministry of Mines
  • B. Department of Atomic Energy
  • C. Ministry of Heavy Industries
  • D. Ministry of Commerce and Industry

Q4. Khanij Bidesh India Limited (KABIL) is a joint venture of which three Central Public Sector Enterprises?

  • A. NALCO, Hindustan Copper Ltd and Mineral Exploration & Consultancy Ltd
  • B. NALCO, NMDC and Mineral Exploration & Consultancy Ltd
  • C. NALCO, Hindustan Copper Ltd and NMDC
  • D. Coal India Ltd, Hindustan Copper Ltd and Mineral Exploration & Consultancy Ltd

Q5. Which one of the following is the largest flagship beach-sand mining and mineral-separation unit of IREL (India) Limited?

  • A. Orissa Sands Complex (OSCOM), Chatrapur
  • B. Rare Earths Division (RED), Aluva
  • C. Manavalakurichi unit, Tamil Nadu
  • D. Chavara unit, Kerala

Q6. The four dedicated Rare Earth Corridors announced in the Union Budget 2026-27 directly complement the existing extraction and refining facilities of which entity in Odisha and Kerala?

  • A. IREL (India) Limited
  • B. Khanij Bidesh India Limited (KABIL)
  • C. NMDC Limited
  • D. Geological Survey of India (GSI)

Q7. How many minerals are included in the list of 'Critical Minerals for India' released by the Ministry of Mines (2023), which underpins the National Critical Mineral Mission?

  • A. 30
  • B. 24
  • C. 17
  • D. 12

Q8. After lithium and rare earth elements were delisted from atomic minerals, the auction of mineral blocks for these minerals was, for the first time, conducted by which authority?

  • A. The Central Government (Ministry of Mines)
  • B. The respective State Governments
  • C. The Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD)
  • D. Khanij Bidesh India Limited (KABIL)

Q9. Monazite, the principal rare-earth and thorium-bearing source mineral in India, is classified as a 'prescribed substance' reserved to government entities under which one of the following?

  • A. The Atomic Energy Act, 1962
  • B. The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957
  • C. The Mineral Conservation and Development Rules, 2017
  • D. The SHANTI Act, 2025