2013 · GS Paper 1 · Q24 · 10 marks
With growing scarcity of fossil fuels, the atomic energy is gaining more and more significance in India. Discuss the availability of raw material required for the generation of atomic energy in India and in the world.
In short
India is poor in low-grade uranium, found mainly at Jaduguda and Tummalapalle, but rich in monazite thorium, while world uranium is concentrated in Australia, Kazakhstan and Canada. Imports since the 2008 NSG waiver bridge the gap until Bhabha's thorium stage matures.
Model answer
Ghissu Editorial · Verified 4 Oct 2026 · 283 words
Uranium, low grade
Deposits at Jaduguda and Turamdih (Jharkhand), Tummalapalle (Andhra Pradesh), Lambapur-Peddagattu (Telangana) and Domiasiat (Meghalaya) mostly grade below 0.1%, which raises costs.
Thorium, abundant
Monazite beach sands of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh give India among the world's largest thorium resources, usable only in the third stage.
Imports fill the gap
Since the 2008 NSG waiver, uranium from Kazakhstan, Russia, Canada and Uzbekistan fuels safeguarded reactors, while the Heavy Water Board makes India self-sufficient, even an exporter, in heavy water.
Uranium belts
Australia holds the largest identified resources, Kazakhstan is the top producer through in-situ leaching, and Canada's Athabasca Basin has the world's richest ore.
Concentration risk
Few states and firms dominate supply, as Niger's 2023 coup and post-2022 sanctions on Russian enrichment showed.
Thorium
Brazil, Australia, the USA and India hold the largest deposits, but no country yet runs a commercial thorium cycle.
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Question from the official UPSC Civil Services (Main) Examination 2013 paper. Answer written by Ghissu's engine and checked against our editorial standards. Found an error? Tell us and we correct it within 48 hours.