Question

The Chotanagpur Industrial Region is also known as the ‘Ruhr of India’. Give two reasons to explain why.

Answer 1

The Chotanagpur Industrial Region is known as the ‘Ruhr of India’ due to the following two reasons:

• Abundance of Raw Materials (Coal and Iron Ore in Close Proximity): The region is located on the Chotanagpur plateau and its growth is linked to the discovery of coal in the Damodar Valley and iron ore in the Jharkhand-Odisha mineral belt. Both these raw materials are found very close to each other, much like the Ruhr region in Germany, which is famous for its coal and steel industries.

• Availability of Power and Cheap Labour: Besides the availability of raw materials, the region has power supply from dams in the Damodar Valley and thermal power stations based on local coal. Furthermore, the region is surrounded by densely populated states such as Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, and West Bengal, providing abundant cheap labour. This is similar to the Ruhr region, which had easy availability of labour and power.