Given below are two statements:
Statement I: Haldia and Chennai oil refineries refine imported crude brought chiefly from the Persian Gulf Countries.
Statement II: The iron ore at Kudremukh is mainly of low-grade.

Correct option is A

The correct option is A. Both Statement I and Statement II are true.
Explanation
Statement I: Haldia and Chennai oil refineries refine imported crude brought chiefly from the Persian Gulf Countries.
This statement is true. India is highly dependent on crude oil imports, with over 80% of its consumption met through foreign sources. Refineries located at port cities like Haldia and Chennai are strategically placed to process imported crude oil efficiently. While India has diversified its imports in recent years to include sources like the US and Russia, historically and primarily, a large majority of the imported crude still originates from Middle Eastern (Persian Gulf) countries like Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE due to proximity and trade relations.
Statement II: The iron ore at Kudremukh is mainly of low-grade.
This statement is true. The deposits in the Kudremukh region of Karnataka consist of vast quantities of low-grade magnetite iron ore. The ore has an initial iron content of around 30% Fe. Mining operations at Kudremukh involved a large-scale beneficiation process to upgrade this low-grade ore into a high-grade concentrate (around 67% Fe) before it was transported via a slurry pipeline to the New Mangalore Port for export, primarily as pellets. Mining operations at Kudremukh have since stopped due to a Supreme Court judgment declaring the area a National Park.