Auction of Two Offshore Mineral Blocks in Andaman Sea Begins

The correct answer is the Andaman Sea. The Ministry of Mines offered Sewell Rise-01, in the southern part of Sewell Rise, and West Sewell Ridge-01, which lies off Great Nicobar Island, and both blocks sit in the Andaman Sea. Option A is wrong because no block in this auction was placed in the Arabian Sea, on the western side of the country. Option C is wrong for the same reason; the Laccadive Sea lies to the south-west and does not figure in this launch at all. Option D is wrong because, although the blocks are on the eastern side, they are not off the Odisha coast; the location is tied to the Andaman and Nicobar group, and West Sewell Ridge-01 is identified specifically as lying off Great Nicobar Island. The two blocks together cover more than 1,632 square kilometres.

The correct answer is polymetallic nodules and crusts. Both blocks are described as holding deposits of this kind, and they host cobalt, nickel, manganese, copper and rare earth elements, which are needed for advanced manufacturing, clean energy technology, electric mobility and electronics. Option A is wrong because bauxite and laterite are weathered deposits found on land and are not what these offshore blocks offer. Option C is wrong because coal is a sedimentary fuel mineral and does not form the nodules and crusts that lie on the deep sea floor. Option D is wrong because placer gold is concentrated by rivers and in coastal sands rather than occurring as polymetallic nodules. The licence on offer for both blocks is a Composite Licence, and the metals listed are the examinable part of this story.

The correct answer is Keshav Chandra, Secretary, Ministry of Mines, who launched the auction virtually for the grant of a Composite Licence. Option A is wrong because the launch was done by the Secretary and not by the Union Minister, a distinction exam setters like to test when a ministry event involves several officials. Option C is wrong because Kadam Sandeep Vasant, Joint Secretary and Administering Authority in the ministry, was present at the launch along with other senior officials, but did not launch it himself. Option D is wrong because MSTC only provides the electronic platform on which the transparent auction is held; it is not the authority that launched the process. The Secretary used the occasion to call offshore minerals a new frontier and to urge active participation by industry and capable explorers.