CBSE Class 10 SST: Manufacturing Industries — Geography Notes 2026

Importance of Manufacturing

• Manufacturing converts raw materials into finished goods; creates employment; earns foreign exchange
• Industrial development: essential for economic growth; transforms agrarian economies into industrial ones
• India's manufacturing GDP share: ~16%; target: 25% under 'Make in India' policy

Textile Industry

• India's largest manufacturing employer; 45 million employed; cotton, jute, silk, wool, synthetic fibres
• Cotton textile: Mumbai ('Manchester of India'), Ahmedabad, Surat, Coimbatore; access to Deccan cotton and port
• Problems: old machinery, power cuts, low productivity, competition from China; synthetic fibres taking market share

Iron and Steel Industry

• Integrated steel plants: from iron ore to steel in one complex; major plants at Bhilai (MP), Rourkela (Odisha), Durgapur (WB)
• Bokaro (Jharkhand): steel city; SAIL (Steel Authority of India Ltd) — government-owned; Tata Steel Jamshedpur (private)
• Localisation: near raw materials (iron ore, coal, limestone), water, transport links, labour

Cement Industry

• Raw material: limestone + clay + gypsum → cement; limestone deposits near Deccan, Vindhya, Himalayas
• Major producers: Rajasthan, MP, AP, Karnataka, Gujarat; ACC, Ultratech, Shree Cement, India Cements
• Demand drivers: infrastructure — roads, dams, housing, smart cities; India 2nd largest cement producer after China

Chemical Industry

• Inorganic chemicals: sulphuric acid (H₂SO₄), alkalis, fertilisers (urea); raw material — sulphur, salt, coal
• Organic chemicals: petrochemicals from petroleum refining; plastics, synthetic fibres, medicines, dyes
• India pharma: 3rd largest by volume in world; Hyderabad and Mumbai are pharma hubs; generic medicines export

Industrial Pollution

• Water pollution: untreated effluents from leather tanning (chromium), textile dyeing, paper mills
• Air pollution: cement dust, sulphur dioxide from metallurgical plants; smog in Delhi-NCR from Bhiwadi, Manesar industries
• Control: CPCB (Central Pollution Control Board), EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) for new projects

CBSE Exam Tips

• Manchester of India = Mumbai; Pittsburgh of India = Jamshedpur/Bokaro — geography nicknames asked in CBSE
• Iron and steel localisation factors: 3-mark short answer
• Industrial pollution: sources and control measures; write in two clear sections