Non-ferrous and non-metallic minerals

India is poorly endowed with non-ferrous minerals, except bauxite.

• Bauxite is the ore of aluminium, a light metal. It is found with laterite rocks. Odisha is the largest producer.
• Copper is vital for electrical wires and motors, because it conducts electricity well. It is mined at Singhbhum (Jharkhand), Balaghat (Madhya Pradesh), and Jhunjhunu and Alwar (Rajasthan).

Mica, a non-metallic mineral, splits into thin, tough sheets that do not conduct electricity. That makes it valuable for the electrical and electronic industries.

Mica belts:

• the lower Hazaribagh plateau (Jharkhand);
• Nellore (Andhra Pradesh);
• Jaipur-Bhilwara (Rajasthan).