Indian Geography

Cuttack was the capital of Orissa (now Odisha) until 1948, when Bhubaneswar became the new capital. The question specifically asks for the former capital, making Cuttack the correct answer. Bhubaneswar is the current capital, not the former one.

The Thar Desert, also known as the Great Indian Desert, is the largest desert in India located in Rajasthan. Sahara and Kalahari are in Africa, while Chambal is a river in India, not a desert.

The Thar Desert, also known as the Great Indian Desert, spans across eastern Pakistan and northwestern India (primarily Rajasthan). It is the world's 17th largest desert and forms a natural boundary between the two countries.

The Damodar Valley, spanning Jharkhand and West Bengal, is one of India's major coal mining regions. Raniganj (in West Bengal's Bardhaman district and Jharkhand's Dhanbad district) is the oldest and most important coalfield in this valley. Korba is in Chhattisgarh, Sambhalpur (Sambalpur) in Odisha, and Singareni in Telangana - none are in the Damodar Valley.

The Mahabodhi Temple in Bodhgaya, Bihar, is where Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Uttarakhand has Haridwar/Rishikesh, Madhya Pradesh has Sanchi Stupa, and Kerala has Sabarimala - none have Bodhgaya.

Narora Nuclear Power Plant (also called Narora Atomic Power Station) is located in Bulandshahr district, Uttar Pradesh. It began operations in 1991. Madhya Pradesh has Madhya Pradesh Atomic Power Station, Gujarat has Kakrapar, and Rajasthan has Rawatbhata - all different locations.

Diamond mines in India are primarily located in Madhya Pradesh, particularly in the Panna region. India has a history of diamond mining dating back to ancient times.

Jawahar Tunnel (also known as Banihal Tunnel) is located in Jammu and Kashmir on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. It's a critical infrastructure link connecting the Kashmir Valley to the rest of India through the Pir Panjal range. The tunnel allows all-weather access bypassing heavy snow zones.

Kedarnath is one of the holiest Hindu pilgrimage sites, located in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district in the Garhwal Himalayas. It's part of the Char Dham Yatra and houses one of the 12 Jyotirlingas. The temple sits at 3,583m near the Mandakini River.

The Nilgiri district is located in the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu, which are part of the Western Ghats mountain range. This district is home to popular hill stations like Ooty (Udhagamandalam) and Coonoor. The other options listed are coastal or plain districts, not hill districts.

India's first peaceful underground nuclear experiment, codenamed 'Smiling Buddha,' was conducted on May 18, 1974, at Pokhran in Rajasthan. This made India the sixth nation to conduct a nuclear test. The other states listed (Punjab, Bihar, Kerala) were not the test site.

The National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) is located in Hyderabad, Telangana. It is a premier research institution under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), focusing on earth sciences. The other options are incorrect: Bangaluru has many institutions but not NGRI, Chandigarh and Bombay are not its location.

National Newsprint and Paper Mills Limited (NNPML) is located in Nepanagar, Madhya Pradesh. It was established to reduce India's dependence on newsprint imports. The location was chosen due to availability of raw materials and strategic considerations. Nepanagar in Burhanpur district remains a key industrial center for paper production.

Hindustan Photo Films Manufacturing Company Limited (HPF) is located in Ooty (Udhagamandalam), Tamil Nadu. It was established in 1960 with technical collaboration from the Soviet Union to manufacture photographic films, X-ray films, and other imaging products. The location in the Nilgiris was chosen for favorable climatic conditions required for film production.

Bokaro Steel Limited is located in Bokaro, Jharkhand (formerly in Bihar). It is one of India's major steel plants and part of the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL). The plant was established with Soviet collaboration in the 1960s as part of India's industrialization drive. Bokaro was chosen for its proximity to coal and iron ore deposits.