Question map
In India, the steel production industry requires the import of
Explanation
In India the steel production industry requires the import of coking coal[1]. Over the last few years, the steel production surged by 36% while coking coal imports have gone up by nearly 65% in India[2].
Coking coal (also called metallurgical coal) is essential for steel production as it is used in blast furnaces to reduce iron ore to molten iron. India has limited reserves of good quality coking coal, which makes it necessary to import this raw material to meet the demands of the growing steel industry. The steep rise in coking coal imports alongside increased steel production demonstrates this dependency.
Saltpetre (potassium nitrate) is used in fertilizers and explosives, not steel production. Rock phosphate is primarily used in fertilizer manufacturing, not in the steel industry. Therefore, only coking coal is the correct answer among the given options.
SourcesPROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Full viewThis is a classic 'Resource Deficit' question. Standard books list what minerals India has; smart aspirants specifically list what India *lacks*. The asymmetry between abundant Iron Ore and scarce Coking Coal is the single most repeated fact in Indian Industrial Geography.
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
- Passage presents the UPSC 2015 question listing saltpeter, rock phosphate and coking coal as options.
- The passage's answer notes saltpetre is not used and specifies the coking-coal requirement per tonne of steel, implying coking coal is the import.
- States that coking coal imports in India have risen sharply, indicating the steel industry imports coking coal.
- Provides context on the vulnerability of the steel sector due to low domestic availability/quality of coking coal.
Lists the principal raw materials used by the iron and steel industry (iron ore, manganese, flux, limestone, fuel/coking coal, fire-clay), establishing the candidate items that might need to be sourced/imported.
A student can take this list and check which of these (e.g., coking coal vs iron ore) India lacked in adequate quality/quantity around 2015 to infer likely imports.
States that some raw materials for iron and steel are 'not adequately available' and explicitly notes India imports heavy quantities of certain inputs and has a shortage of good quality coking coal.
Combine this rule about inadequate domestic availability with trade data or knowledge that coking coal is critical for steelmaking to suspect coking coal was imported.
Notes 'Shortage of desired quality of coking coal' as a challenge for the steel industry, reinforcing that coking coal quality/availability was an issue.
Use this repeated note on coking coal shortage plus basic facts that high-quality coking coal is often imported to judge that coking coal was likely an import item in 2015.
Reports India as a major exporter of iron ore (about 55% exported), which suggests domestic iron ore was sufficiently available for export rather than being principally imported.
A student could use this export fact to argue iron ore was less likely to be a major import in 2015 and focus attention on other inputs like coking coal.
Says much scrap iron is used to supplement deficiency in ore, indicating the industry relies on scrap as an input where ore is lacking.
Combine this with global scrap markets (and ports/trafficking patterns) to evaluate whether scrap (or processed inputs) might have been imported to meet demand.
- [THE VERDICT]: Sitter. Directly solvable from NCERT Class 12 (India: People and Economy) or Majid Husain (Ch: Industries).
- [THE CONCEPTUAL TRIGGER]: Industrial Location Theory applied to the Indian Steel Sector (Raw Material Constraints).
- [THE HORIZONTAL EXPANSION]: Memorize India's Critical Import Dependencies: 1) Fertilizer: 100% import dependent on Potash. 2) Energy: ~85% Crude Oil. 3) Steel: Coking Coal (mainly from Australia). 4) Electronics: Lithium, Cobalt. 5) Edible Oil: Palm Oil (Indonesia/Malaysia).
- [THE STRATEGIC METACOGNITION]: Don't just read 'Distribution of Minerals'. Create a 'Trade Balance Sheet' for major industries. Column A: Domestic Inputs. Column B: Critical Imports. If an industry is strategic (Steel, Energy, Food), know its Achilles' heel.
References list the core inputs (iron ore, manganese, flux, limestone, coking coal, fire-clay, dolomite, bauxite) used in steelmaking.
High-yield factual concept: questions often ask what raw materials feed mineral-based industries or ask to match industries with inputs. Mastering this helps answer location, resource-dependence and industrial-policy questions. Learn by memorising input lists and linking each material to its role (e.g., coking coal as fuel/reductant, limestone as flux).
- Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 11: Industries > Locational Factors > p. 28
- FUNDAMENTALS OF HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 5: Secondary Activities > b) Mineral based Industries > p. 41
Evidence notes shortage of desired-quality coking coal for the steel sector.
Concept connects resource constraints to import dependence, industrial challenges, and policy responses (e.g., import vs domestic sourcing, technology changes). UPSC often frames questions around resource bottlenecks and industry competitiveness—prepare by studying causes, consequences, and policy measures.
- Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 12: Indian Industry > Major Industries: Roles and Challenges > p. 397
References explain that heavy/weight-losing inputs (coal, iron ore) determine steelplant locations near coalfields or ore deposits.
Classic geography/industry concept tested frequently: explains spatial distribution of industries and infrastructure choices. Useful for map-based, reason-and-assertion, and analytical answers on industrial location. Study examples (Bokaro, Jharia, Bailadila, Bhilai, etc.) and the weight-loss/weight-gain rationale.
- Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 11: Industries > Locational Factors > p. 28
- Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 11: Industries > 10. Vishakhapatnam Steel Plant > p. 35
Since they asked about Steel's import (Coking Coal), the next logical question is Fertilizer's import: India is 100% import-dependent on Potash (K) and heavily dependent on Rock Phosphate. Also, know that India exports Iron Ore (mostly to Japan/China) despite the steel demand.
Use 'Functional Association'. Saltpetre = Gunpowder/Fertilizer. Rock Phosphate = Fertilizer (Phosphorus). Coking Coal = Carbon source for smelting Iron. Steel making is essentially Iron Ore + Coking Coal + Limestone. Even without knowing trade stats, Coking Coal is the only functional ingredient for Steel in the list.
Connect to GS2 (IR): The 'Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA)' is strategically driven by India's need for duty-free Coking Coal. This geography fact dictates our foreign policy with Australia.