UPSC Prelims 2022 Question:

With reference to India, consider the following statements

1. Monazite is a source of rare earths.
2. Monazite contains thorium. 
3. Monazite occurs naturally in the entire Indian coastal sands in India.
4. In India, Government bodies only can process or export monazite.
   
   

Which of the statements given above are correct?

Explanation:

• Monazite is one of the beach sand minerals that contains rare earths like, lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium etc. Monazite in general, contains about 55 – 60% total Rare Earth Oxide. Thorium is also found in monazite. So, statement 1 and statement 2 are correct.
  
  

• Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD), a constitute unit of Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) has estimated the presence of 11.93 million tonnes of monazite resources in the beach sand mineral placer deposits along the coastal tracts of India. The state-wise resources of in situ monazite is given here. Thus, it is not naturally found in the entire Indian coastal sands. So, statement 3 is not correct.
  
  

• A licence from the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) under the Atomic Energy (Working of the Mines. Minerals and Handling of Prescribed Substances) Rules 1984 promulgated under the Atomic Energy Act 1962 is necessary for exporting monazite. DAE has not issued any licence to any private entity either for production of monazite, or for its downstream processing for extracting thorium, or the export of either monazite or thorium. Only state-run IREL in India has the licence to produce and export monazite. So, statement 4 is correct.
  
  

Therefore, option (2) is the correct answer.

Subject: Geography| Mineral Resources