Lifelines of National Economy

Every card in this deck

QWhy are transport and communication called the lifelines of a nation and its economy?

AGoods and services do not move by themselves from where they are produced to where they are needed, so a country develops only as fast as it can both produce and move them. Trade at every level, local, national and global, depends on a dense and efficient transport and communication network.

QWhy is road transport growing in importance compared with rail transport?

ARoads cost much less to build, can cross dissected and undulating terrain and steep slopes such as the Himalayas, and are economical for a few people or small loads over short distances. They give door-to-door service and act as feeders linking railway stations, airports and seaports.

QGolden Quadrilateral Super Highways

AA six-lane super highway project, run by the NHAI, linking Delhi-Kolkata-Chennai-Mumbai-Delhi to cut travel time and distance between the mega cities. It includes the North-South Corridor (Srinagar to Kanniyakumari) and the East-West Corridor (Silchar to Porbandar).

QState highways vs district roads

AState highways link a state capital with its district headquarters. District roads connect a district headquarters with other places in the district.

QPradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojana

AA scheme that gave special impetus to rural roads, aiming to link every village in the country to a major town by an all-season motorable road.

QWhat is the significance of border roads?

AThe Border Roads Organisation, set up in 1960, builds and maintains strategic roads along India's northern and north-eastern frontiers. These roads have opened up difficult terrain and helped the economic development of border regions; it also built the Atal Tunnel, which links Manali to Lahul-Spiti all year.

QMetalled vs unmetalled roads

AMetalled roads are surfaced with cement, concrete or coal bitumen and can be used in every season. Unmetalled roads become unusable during the rains.

QWhy are railways the principal mode of transport in India?

AThey carry freight and passengers over long distances for business, sightseeing and pilgrimage, and have been a great integrating force for over 150 years. They bind the country's economic life and speed up the growth of industry and agriculture. The first train ran from Mumbai to Thane in 1853.

QHow has physiography shaped the distribution of India's railway network?

AThe level, densely populated and agriculturally rich northern plains favoured railways, although wide riverbeds needed bridges. Hills, the Himalayas, the sandy plains of western Rajasthan, the swamps of Gujarat and forested central India made building difficult, and the Sahyadri could be crossed only through ghats.

QWhat are the advantages of pipeline transport?

APipelines carry crude oil, petroleum products, natural gas and even solids as slurry to refineries, fertilizer plants and power stations. The initial cost is high but running costs are minimal, and they avoid trans-shipment losses and delays. They made inland refineries such as Barauni, Mathura and Panipat possible.

QWhy are waterways considered an important mode of transport?

AThey are the cheapest means of transport and the most suitable for heavy, bulky goods, and they are fuel-efficient and environment-friendly. India has about 14,500 km of navigable inland waterways, and the National Waterways Act 2016 declared 111 of them National Waterways.

QNational Waterways No. 1 and No. 2

ANW-1 is the Ganga between Prayagraj and Haldia (1,620 km). NW-2 is the Brahmaputra between Sadiya and Dhubri (891 km).

QWhich port was the first developed after Independence, and why?

ADeendayal Port (Kandla) in Kachchh, Gujarat. It was built to ease trade pressure on Mumbai port after Karachi port went to Pakistan at Partition. It is a tidal port serving the granary and industrial belt from Jammu and Kashmir to Gujarat.

QIdentify the west-coast port: the biggest port; the premier iron-ore exporter; the port serving Kudremukh; the port at a lagoon entrance.

AMumbai is the biggest port, with a natural, well-sheltered harbour. Mormugao (Goa) handles about half of India's iron ore exports. New Mangalore (Karnataka) exports Kudremukh iron ore concentrates. Cochin is the extreme south-western port at the entrance of a lagoon.

QIdentify the east-coast port: extreme south-eastern port; oldest artificial port; deepest landlocked port; inland riverine port.

AV.O. Chidambaranar (Tuticorin) in Tamil Nadu is the extreme south-eastern port. Chennai is one of the oldest artificial ports. Visakhapatnam is the deepest landlocked, well-protected port. Kolkata is an inland riverine port needing constant dredging, with Haldia developed to relieve it.

QWhy is air transport especially important for the north-eastern states?

AThe region has big rivers, dissected relief, dense forests, frequent floods and international frontiers, which make surface transport difficult. Air transport crosses such terrain with ease and has made the region far more accessible.

QUDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik)

AA Regional Connectivity Scheme of the Ministry of Civil Aviation to make flying affordable for ordinary citizens. It encourages airlines to fly regional and remote routes through enabling policies and incentives.

QFirst-class vs second-class mail

AFirst-class mail (cards and envelopes) is airlifted between stations over land and air. Second-class mail (book packets, registered newspapers and periodicals) goes by surface mail over land and water.

QWhy is international trade considered a country's economic barometer?

ABecause resources are tied to particular places, no country can survive without trade. How far a country's international trade advances is therefore treated as an index of its economic prosperity.

QFavourable vs unfavourable balance of trade

ABalance of trade is the difference between a country's exports and imports. It is favourable when exports exceed imports in value, and unfavourable when imports exceed exports.

QHow does tourism benefit India?

AIt promotes national integration, supports local handicrafts and cultural pursuits, and builds international understanding of India's culture and heritage. Foreign tourists come for heritage, eco, adventure, cultural, medical and business tourism, and schemes such as Swadesh Darshan 2.0 and PRASHAD promote it.