Why are most jute mills in India concentrated along the banks of the Hugli river? Give any two reasons.
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-26 13:32 · grounding rag
Model Answer
Most jute mills in India are concentrated along the banks of the Hugli river due to the following reasons:
- Proximity to raw material: The Hugli basin is close to the jute-producing areas of West Bengal, ensuring easy and cheap supply of raw jute to the mills.
- Cheap water transport and labour: Inexpensive water transport, supported by railways and roadways, facilitates movement of raw material. Abundant cheap labour is available from West Bengal and adjoining states like Bihar, Odisha, and Uttar Pradesh.
Additionally, Kolkata provides banking, insurance, and port facilities, while abundant water is available for processing raw jute.
Source: Jute Textiles, Chapter 6
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Explanation
- This is a 3-mark question, so two well-explained reasons are expected (with a possible third point for full marks).
- Directly lift factors from the textbook passage — examiners expect textbook-aligned language.
- Common mistake: writing only one-line reasons without brief elaboration. Each point needs a short explanation to earn full marks.
- Key terms to include: proximity, water transport, cheap labour, Kolkata's facilities.