UPSC Prelims 2025 · GS Paper I

Question 89: Polity and Governance

Consider the following statements :

Statement IIn India, State Governments have no power for making rules for grant of concessions in respect of extraction of minor minerals even though such minerals are located in their territories.
Statement IIIn India, the Central Government has the power to notify minor minerals under the relevant law.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

aBoth Statement I and Statement II are correct and Statement II explains Statement I

bBoth Statement I and Statement II are correct but Statement II does not explain Statement I

cStatement I is correct but Statement II is not correct

dStatement I is not correct but Statement II is correct

AnswerThe answer is (d).

Under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, State Governments have the power under Section 15 to make rules for granting mining leases and other concessions for minor minerals found in their territories, so Statement I is wrong. The Central Government has the power to declare, by notification, which minerals are minor minerals, in addition to those the Act lists, so Statement II is correct. Remember: the Centre notifies minor minerals; the States regulate them.

I. States make rules for concessions in minor minerals under Section 15.
II. The Central Government can notify additional minor minerals.

How you could have got this

If you were sure Statement I is not correct, only (d) is left: every other option says it is correct.

What you needed to know: States make rules for concessions in minor minerals under Section 15.

This follows an unofficial answer: UPSC has not published its key for this year, and if that answer is wrong, so is this path.

Which options go is worked out from UPSC’s key and the options, not by a model.

Why each option is right or wrong

(a) Wrong: Statement I is incorrect, so Statement II cannot explain it.
(b) Wrong: Statement I is incorrect.
(c) Wrong: it reverses the truth; Statement II is the correct one.
(d) Right: States can make rules for minor minerals, and the Centre notifies what counts as minor.

Explanation: written by UPSC Grade, not by UPSC.

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Source: UPSC, Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2025, General Studies Paper I, Series A. The paper on upsc.gov.in.