Minerals, energy & industry

Answer: (c) I and III only

India became the 14th member of the US-led Mineral Security Partnership in June 2023, and the MMDR Amendment Act, 2023 let the Centre alone auction mining leases and composite licences for listed critical minerals. But India is far from self-sufficient: it depends mostly on imports for minerals such as lithium, cobalt and nickel.

• ✓ I The Ministry of Mines told Parliament that India joined the Mineral Security Partnership as its 14th member in June 2023.
• ✗ II India identified 30 critical minerals in June 2023 precisely because supply is a risk; for several of them, including lithium, cobalt and nickel, it relies mostly on imports.
• ✓ III The 2023 amendment empowered the Central Government to exclusively auction mining leases and composite licences for critical minerals in Part D of the First Schedule; the States still grant the lease and keep the revenue.

Remember · Critical minerals: 30 identified (June 2023); MSP member since June 2023; MMDR Amendment 2023 lets the Centre auction them while States keep the revenue.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2025, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink · Report an error

Answer: (b) Both Statement II and Statement III are correct but only one of them explains Statement I

Cement is among the largest single industrial sources of carbon dioxide, about 7% of global emissions according to the International Energy Agency. Both manufacturing facts are true, but only Statement III explains the emissions: heating limestone (calcium carbonate) to make lime releases carbon dioxide directly, on top of the fuel burnt in the kiln. Mixing silica-bearing clay with limestone is simply part of the recipe.

• ✓ Statement I The International Energy Agency puts the cement sector's share of global carbon dioxide emissions at about 7%, which is well above 5%.
• ✓ Statement II Cement needs limestone plus silica and alumina, which come mainly from clay or shale; this is true but does not by itself produce the carbon dioxide.
• ✓ Statement III In the kiln, calcium carbonate breaks down into calcium oxide (lime) and carbon dioxide; this 'process emission' is the main reason cement is so carbon-intensive, so III explains I.

Remember · Cement CO2 is about 7% of global emissions (IEA); most comes from calcination (CaCO3 → CaO + CO2) in clinker making, the rest from kiln fuel.

📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 10 Science, Ch 1 (practise this chapter) · Class 10 Contemporary India – II, Ch 6 (practise this chapter)

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2025, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink · Report an error

Answer: (c) II and III only

India emits about 2 tonnes of CO2 per person, four times the 0.5 t in Statement I. It is the world's third-largest emitter, behind China and the United States, so within Asia-Pacific it is second after China. Power and heat generation is the biggest emitting activity, so II and III are correct.

• ✗ I The IEA puts India's per capita emissions at around 2 tonnes, less than half the world average of 4.6 tonnes, but far above 0.5 t.
• ✓ II India is the third-largest source of global energy-related CO2 (after China and the US). China is the only bigger emitter in Asia-Pacific, which makes India second in the region.
• ✓ III India's own report to the UNFCCC shows energy industries (mainly electricity and heat generation) as the largest contributor within the energy sector, with a 56.53% share of the sector's 2020 emissions.

Remember · India's CO2: about 2 t per person (world about 4.6 t); third-largest emitter globally, second in Asia-Pacific after China; power and heat generation is the largest source.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2025, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink · Report an error

Answer: (c) Only three

In a lithium-ion cell the cathode is a metal-oxide material built from lithium with nickel, cobalt (and manganese), as in the common NMC type. Graphite is the anode material, not part of the cathode. So three of the four elements make up cathodes.

• ✓ I Cobalt is one of the metals in the active cathode material.
• ✗ II Graphite forms the anode of the cell, not the cathode.
• ✓ III Lithium is a cathode mineral (the IEA lists lithium, nickel, cobalt and manganese for the cathode).
• ✓ IV Nickel is a main cathode metal; nickel-rich cathodes are a key trend in EV batteries.

Remember · EV battery cathode: lithium with nickel, cobalt (and manganese). Anode: graphite.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2025, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink · Report an error

Answer: (b) Only two

Coal gasification turns coal into syngas, which is then converted into fuels and chemicals. India's Ministry of Coal lists ethanol among these products and describes the Talcher plant converting syngas to ammonia and then urea. Nitroglycerine is made by nitrating glycerine with nitric and sulphuric acids and is not one of the coal-gasification products, so only two of the three qualify.

• ✓ I The Ministry of Coal includes ethanol among the liquid fuels made from syngas and notes that a policy change is under way to include ethanol from the coal gasification route.
• ✗ II Nitroglycerine (glyceryl trinitrate) comes from nitrating glycerine with mixed nitric and sulphuric acids; it is not a syngas product.
• ✓ III At Talcher, coal blended with pet-coke is gasified to syngas, converted into ammonia and then into urea.

Remember · Coal gasification gives syngas, then methanol, ethanol, ammonia and urea (Talcher fertiliser plant). Nitroglycerine comes from glycerine and nitrating acids, not from syngas.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2025, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink · Report an error

Answer: (b) Only two

Only II and III are regulated. The Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board Act, 2006 covers refining, processing, storage, transportation, distribution, marketing and sale of petroleum, petroleum products and natural gas, and it expressly leaves out the production of crude oil and natural gas.

• ✗ I Producing crude oil is upstream work and is excluded from the Board's remit.
• ✓ II Refining, storage and distribution are named activities under the Act.
• ✓ III Marketing and sale of petroleum products are named activities under the Act.
• ✗ IV The Act excludes the production of natural gas, although transporting, distributing and selling it are regulated.

Remember · PNGRB (Act of 2006) regulates refining, storage, transport, distribution, marketing and sale of petroleum and natural gas, but not upstream production of crude oil or natural gas.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2025, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink · Report an error

Answer: (d) Statement I is not correct but Statement II is correct

Statement I is wrong because the United States, not Brazil, is the world's largest ethanol producer. Statement II is correct: corn is the main feedstock in the United States and sugarcane in Brazil.

• ✗ Statement-I The United States produced over 16 billion gallons of ethanol in 2024; the same data table puts Brazil at roughly 9 billion gallons, so Brazil is second.
• ✓ Statement-II Most US ethanol is made from corn, while Brazil mainly uses sugarcane.

Remember · The US is the top ethanol producer (mostly from corn); Brazil is second (mainly from sugarcane). Together they make about 80 per cent of the world's ethanol.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2025, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink · Report an error

Answer: (d) I, II and III

All three statements match the Ministry's own guidelines for the scheme. The programme aims at one crore residential rooftop solar installations, MNRE plans grass-root training in installing, operating, maintaining and repairing rooftop systems, and the capacity-building component targets more than 3 lakh skilled workers.

• ✓ I The first key objective of the programme is to achieve 1 crore rooftop solar system installations in the residential sector.
• ✓ II The Capacity Building guidelines say MNRE intends to train technicians, electricians, installers and others in installation, operation, maintenance and repair of rooftop solar systems at grass-root level.
• ✓ III The capacity-building component aims to create more than 3 lakh skilled workers through fresh skilling and up-skilling, of whom at least 1 lakh are to be solar PV technicians.

Remember · PM Surya Ghar (approved 29 Feb 2024): one crore rooftop solar installations in homes; capacity building targets 3 lakh+ skilled workers, at least 1 lakh solar PV technicians.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2025, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink · Report an error

Answer: (c) All the three

All three rows are correct: Botswana's economy is built on diamonds, Chile holds the largest lithium reserves in Latin America and is a leading lithium producer, and Indonesia has the world's largest nickel reserves.

• ✓ I Botswana is a diamond economy; the World Bank says its diamond wealth has driven decades of economic and social progress, and diamonds are still dominant in its economy.
• ✓ II Chile is first in order of size among the three Latin American countries (Chile, Argentina, Brazil) that hold large lithium reserves, and the World Bank puts it second among lithium miners, after Australia.
• ✓ III Indonesia holds the world's largest nickel reserve and is the world's largest nickel producer; it banned nickel ore exports in 2014 to build domestic processing.

Remember · Botswana: diamonds. Chile: lithium. Indonesia: nickel, the world's largest reserve, used in steel and EV batteries.

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2025, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink · Report an error

Answer: (d) Statement I is not correct but Statement II is correct

Statement I is wrong. Mines and minerals are a State subject, subject to Union control, and under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 the State Governments frame the rules for concessions in minor minerals. Statement II is right: under the same Act the Central Government can notify further minerals as minor minerals.

• ✗ Statement-I Section 15(1) of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 empowers the State Government to make rules regulating the grant of quarry leases, mining leases and other concessions for minor minerals. The Constitution's State List also covers regulation of mines and mineral development, subject to Union control.
• ✓ Statement-II Section 3(e) of the Act defines minor minerals as building stones, gravel, ordinary clay and ordinary sand (other than sand used for prescribed purposes) and any other mineral the Central Government declares, by notification in the Official Gazette, to be a minor mineral.

Remember · Minor minerals: State Governments make the concession rules; the Central Government notifies what counts as a minor mineral (MMDR Act, 1957).

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2025, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink · Report an error