In Indian economic geography, which of the following pairs consists only of states that have commercially significant oil fields?

Introduction / Context:
This question checks your understanding of the distribution of petroleum resources in India. Oil fields are not spread evenly across all states. Instead, they are concentrated in a few sedimentary basins onshore and offshore. Competitive exams often ask which states or regions have commercially significant oil and natural gas production, so recognising the correct state combinations is an important part of Indian economic geography.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• We are dealing with Indian states that have commercially significant oil fields.
• The options are state pairs, and the question asks for the pair where both states have such oil fields.
• The pairs given are: Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Telangana and Tripura, Bihar and Mizoram, Tamil Nadu and Odisha, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh.
• We use standard school and exam oriented sources that list oil producing basins and states.

Concept / Approach:
Commercial oil fields in India are mainly located in a few key basins such as Assam and Assam Arakan basin, Krishna Godavari basin, Cauvery basin, Cambay basin, Mumbai offshore, and parts of Rajasthan and Odisha. Tamil Nadu has oil and gas fields associated with the Cauvery basin both onshore and offshore. Odisha has oil and gas production related to the Mahanadi and adjoining basins. In contrast, Telangana, Bihar, and Himachal Pradesh are not major oil producing states in standard exam references, and Mizoram is associated more with exploratory activity than with long established commercial oil fields.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that Tamil Nadu has commercially worked oil and gas fields in the Cauvery basin region and offshore areas. Step 2: Recall that Odisha has oil and gas production in and around the Mahanadi basin and adjoining offshore blocks. Step 3: Note that Andhra Pradesh has Krishna Godavari basin production, but Telangana, which was carved out of Andhra Pradesh, is not usually listed as an oil producing state in static geography questions. Step 4: Recognise that Bihar, Mizoram, Rajasthan, and Himachal Pradesh either lack major long standing oil fields or, in the case of Rajasthan, are paired with a non producing state in this question. Step 5: Conclude that the only pair in which both states clearly have commercially significant oil fields is Tamil Nadu and Odisha.

Verification / Alternative check:
You can verify this by checking an Indian atlas or geography text that lists oil producing states. Tamil Nadu is listed due to Cauvery basin fields near Nagapattinam and adjacent offshore blocks. Odisha appears due to oil and gas fields linked to the Mahanadi basin. Andhra Pradesh appears because of Krishna Godavari basin production, but Telangana is not typically mentioned as an oil producing state. Rajasthan is an important oil producing state due to Barmer fields, but Himachal Pradesh is not. When you look at published tables, the combination Tamil Nadu and Odisha stands out as the only pair where both states are consistently recognised as oil producing.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana is incorrect because only Andhra Pradesh is widely recognised for oil fields, while Telangana is not. Telangana and Tripura is wrong because, although Tripura has gas fields, Telangana is not a standard oil producing state. Bihar and Mizoram are not known as leading oil producing states in standard exam material. Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh is wrong because Himachal Pradesh does not have major commercial oil fields, so the pair does not consist only of oil producing states.

Common Pitfalls:
A common mistake is to assume that if one state in a pair has oil fields, then the pair is correct, without noticing that the question requires both states to have commercially significant oil fields. Another pitfall is to recall that Andhra Pradesh had oil and gas activity and to forget that the question is framed after the separation of Telangana, which changed state boundaries but not the petroleum belt. Careful reading of the phrase consists only of states with oil fields helps you avoid these traps.

Final Answer:
Tamil Nadu and Odisha