India’s minerals sit where its geology put them: metallic ores in the ancient rocks of the Peninsular plateau, coal in the Gondwana basins, oil and gas in young sedimentary basins on land and offshore. That map explains the location of steel plants, the politics of tribal regions and India’s search for critical minerals abroad.

What UPSC asks

Prelims: mine–mineral–State matching (Khetri, Malanjkhand, Bailadila, Kudremukh, Jaduguda, Koderma), types of coal, oil fields, sources of thorium and uranium, renewable energy sites, and recent changes such as the critical minerals list.
Mains (GS I and GS III): distribution of resources, the “resource curse” in mineral-rich regions, energy security, critical minerals for the energy transition, and mining versus forest rights.

Key sub-topics

Sub-topic	Core idea
Rocks and minerals	Igneous/metamorphic → metallic ores; sedimentary → coal and oil; placers → monazite
Mineral belts	North-eastern plateau, south-western plateau, north-western (Aravali) belt
Metallic minerals	Iron ore, manganese, bauxite, copper
Non-metallic minerals	Mica, limestone
Conventional energy	Coal, petroleum, natural gas, nuclear
Non-conventional energy	Solar, wind, tidal, geothermal, biomass
Policy	MMDR Act, critical minerals, energy-transition targets

Start with Mineral Belts and Energy Resources, then use the quick revision sheet and the practice questions.