UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Ministry of Mines to Launch Auction of Offshore Mineral Blocks in Andaman Sea

Q1. A dispute arises over who controls the resources off the coast of a peninsular State of India. With reference to the constitutional position on such resources, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Minerals lying on the seabed within the territorial waters adjoining the State vest in the Union and not in that State.
  2. While seabed minerals vest in the Union, the other resources of the exclusive economic zone, such as fish in its waters, vest in the adjoining coastal State.
  3. The outer limits of India's territorial waters and exclusive economic zone are fixed in the Constitution itself and can be altered only by a constitutional amendment.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1 only

Q2. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. Offshore mineral blocks, including those within the territorial waters adjoining a coastal State, are allocated by the Union Government under a central law.
  2. Under the Constitution, only the resources lying beyond the territorial sea vest in the Union, while the seabed within territorial waters belongs to the adjoining coastal State.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q3. With reference to the rights of a coastal State such as India under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. In the territorial sea, the coastal State's sovereignty extends to the seabed and subsoil and to the airspace above.
  2. In the exclusive economic zone, the coastal State's sovereign rights cover both living and non-living natural resources, including those of the seabed and subsoil.
  3. No State may claim sovereign rights over any part of the seabed beyond national jurisdiction, and the rights in its resources are vested in mankind as a whole.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 2 and 3 only

Q4. Without India's consent, a foreign company begins prospecting for ferromanganese crusts on the seabed off the western coast of the Andaman Islands. The site lies beyond India's territorial sea but within its exclusive economic zone. Which one of the following best describes the legal position under UNCLOS?

  • A. It is lawful, since the seabed beyond the 12-nautical-mile territorial sea forms part of the Area open to all States
  • B. It infringes India's sovereign rights over EEZ seabed resources, though the EEZ is not part of India's sovereign territory
  • C. It is lawful only if the company holds an exploration contract for that site issued by the International Seabed Authority
  • D. It infringes India's sovereignty, since the EEZ is sovereign territory to the same extent as the territorial sea

Q5. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. Ferromanganese nodules are a potential ore of copper, nickel and cobalt, in addition to manganese.
  2. Ferromanganese nodules occur mostly on parts of the deep seabed where sediment accumulates very slowly.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q6. With reference to the polymetallic (ferromanganese) nodules targeted in offshore mineral blocks, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. They are built of concentric layers of manganese and iron oxides.
  2. They form chiefly from volcanic and hydrothermal activity, which is why they are concentrated along the crests of mid-ocean ridges.
  3. Because they grow by only a few millimetres per million years, a nodule field that has been mined cannot be replenished on any human timescale.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q7. India holds an exclusive contract to explore polymetallic nodules at a site in the Central Indian Ocean Basin in international waters. It is also auctioning nodule-bearing blocks in the Andaman Sea within its own exclusive economic zone. Which one of the following correctly describes the framework for commercially mining the two sites?

  • A. The Andaman site falls under India's offshore minerals law, while the basin site needs authorisation from the International Seabed Authority
  • B. Both sites can be auctioned under India's offshore minerals law, as India holds exclusive rights over both
  • C. The Andaman site needs authorisation from the International Seabed Authority, while the basin site falls under India's offshore minerals law
  • D. Both sites need authorisation from the International Seabed Authority, as all seabed nodules are the common heritage of mankind