UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — India to scale up critical mineral exploration and build strong domestic value chains to reduce import dependence and meet strategic needs: Dr. Jitendra Singh

Q1. Under the MMDR Amendment Act, 2023, the Central Government was empowered to exclusively auction 24 critical and strategic minerals by placing them in which one of the following?

  • A. Part D of the First Schedule
  • B. Part C of the First Schedule
  • C. Part B of the Second Schedule
  • D. Part A of the Seventh Schedule

Q2. To attract private agencies for exploration of deep-seated and critical minerals, the MMDR Amendment Act, 2023 introduced as its flagship new mineral concession which one of the following?

  • A. Exploration Licence
  • B. Composite Licence
  • C. Reconnaissance Permit
  • D. Prospecting Licence

Q3. The National Critical Mineral Mission has a total outlay of about ₹34,300 crore. The larger share of this is expected to come from which one of the following sources?

  • A. Investment by PSUs and others (about ₹18,000 crore)
  • B. Government budgetary support (about ₹16,300 crore)
  • C. The corpus of the National Mineral Exploration Trust
  • D. External commercial borrowings raised by the Ministry of Mines

Q4. The Committee constituted by the Ministry of Mines in November 2022 identified how many minerals as critical for India?

  • A. 24
  • B. 30
  • C. 12
  • D. 6

Q5. In 2024 the Union Cabinet specified royalty rates for how many critical and strategic minerals, thereby completing rationalisation for all 24 such minerals?

  • A. 3
  • B. 12
  • C. 24
  • D. 30

Q6. In the context of critical mineral block auctions in India, the term 'Composite Licence' most precisely refers to which one of the following?

  • A. A single mineral concession that combines a prospecting licence with a subsequent mining lease
  • B. A licence that permits only aerial reconnaissance surveys over a notified block
  • C. A permit that allows mining of any mineral found in a block without further approval
  • D. A joint licence issued only to consortia of public sector undertakings

Q7. Khanij Bidesh India Limited (KABIL) is best described as which one of the following?

  • A. A joint venture of NALCO, HCL and MECL formed to acquire critical mineral assets abroad
  • B. A statutory trust constituted under the MMDR Act to fund domestic exploration
  • C. A CSIR laboratory engaged in mineral beneficiation and processing research
  • D. An autonomous regulator that conducts domestic critical mineral block auctions