India Resources & Their Utilization Test - 9

Water mills were used for Grinding Grains before the advent of conventional sources of energy. Mills were commonly used for grinding grain into flour (attested by Pliny the Elder), but industrial uses as fulling and sawing marble were also applied. The Romans used both fixed and floating water wheels and introduced water power to other provinces of the Roman Empire.

Tarapur atomic power station is an important atomic power station in Maharashtra. The Tarapur Atomic Power Station (TAPS) is located near Boiser in the Thane District of Maharashtra. Begun as India's first atomic power project, the Indian Government decided to utilize boiling water reactors (BWRs) for the plant.

Tamil Nadu harnesses 55% of the country`s wind energy. Tamil Nadu has become a leader in Wind Power in India. In Muppandal wind farm the total capacity is 1500 MW, the largest wind power plant in India. The total wind installed capacity in Tamil Nadu is 7633 MW.

Tamil Nadu stands first in India in biomass based power generation. According to the Indian Power Ministry, electricity generated from renewable sources in India currently stands at about 13,200 MW out of a total electricity generation of 147,400 MW. Of this, the electricity generation using biomass resources stands at 650 MW against a potential of 16,000 MW.

Iron and Steel industry is not an agro based industry. Agro based industries use plant and animal based products as their raw materials. Food processing, vegetable oil, cotton textile, dairy products and leather industries are examples of agro-based industries.

The first Indian cotton cloth mill was established in 1818 at Fort Gloaster near Kolkata, albeit this mill was a failure. The second mill which was established by KGN Daber in 1854 is called the true foundation of modern cotton industry in India. Its name was Bombay Spinning and weaving Company, Bombay.

Mumbai and Ahmedabad are the twin centre of textiles in India.
Ahmedabad is the second largest cotton textile centre in India after Mumbai and the largest in Gujarat. Many cotton manufacturing units are currently running in and around Ahmedabad, Mumbai and Gujarat. Textiles are one of the major industries of these cities.

About 80% of the silk produced in the country is mulberry silk, majority of which is produced in the three southern States of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, followed by West Bengal and Jammu & Kashmir. Mulberry sericulture is being practised since time immemorial in the North Eastern Region (NER).

There are three commercially important types of non-mulberry silks namely: Eri silk; Tasar silk; and Muga silk. There are also other types of non-mulberry silk, which are mostly wild and exploited in Africa and Asia, are Anaphe silk, Fagara silk, Coan silk, Mussel silk and Spider silk.

Terene is a man-made synthetic fiber. Synthetic fabrics are textiles made from man-made rather than natural fibers. Examples of synthetic fabrics include polyester, acrylic, nylon, rayon, acetate, spandex, lastex, terene, orlon and Kevlar. Synthetic (chemically produced) fabrics are made by joining monomers into polymers, through a process called polymerization.