Consider the following statements relating to salt production in India: 1. India is the second largest producer of iodised salt in the world next only to China 2. Salt mining is carried out in Himachal Pradesh 3. Gujarat is the leading producer of salt in India 4. Ground water is the important source of salt in Rajasthan Which of the statements given above are correct?

India is the world's third-largest producer of salt, following China and the United States, rather than the second-largest. Statement 1 is therefore incorrect. Statement 2 is correct as rock salt mining is specifically carried out in the Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh at the Gumma and Drang mines [2]. Statement 3 is correct; Gujarat is the leading producer, accounting for approximately 76% to 87.4% of India's total salt production [2]. Statement 4 is also correct; while Rajasthan produces salt from lake brine (like Sambhar Lake), it also extensively utilizes sub-soil brine (groundwater) in regions such as Nawa, Phalodi, and Kuchhaman [2]. Since statements 2, 3, and 4 are accurate, option 4 is the correct choice.

Sources

1. [2] https://emerginghimachal.hp.gov.in/miningstone/survay_docs/Mineral_Resources_of_Himachal_Pradesh.pdf