Transport and Communication

India's Transport Network: • India has one of the largest transport networks in the world — reflecting its size, population, and diversity. • A good transport network is essential for: Moving agricultural produce to markets, distributing industrial goods, enabling migration, national integration. Road Transport: • India has one of the world's largest road networks — about 6.5 million km (including rural roads). • Road transport carries about 90% of passenger traffic and 65% of freight. Classification of Roads: 1. Expressways: Modern, high-speed, access-controlled highways — under NHAI. 2. National Highways (NH): Major roads connecting states — maintained by NHAI (National Highways Authority of India); about 1.45 lakh km. 3. State Highways: Secondary roads within states — maintained by state PWDs. 4. District Roads: Connecting district headquarters to towns and villages. 5. Village Roads (Rural Roads): Connecting villages — Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) has constructed lakhs of km. Key National Highways: • NH 44 (formerly NH 7): Srinagar to Kanniyakumari — India's longest NH (3,745 km). • Golden Quadrilateral: Delhi–Mumbai–Chennai–Kolkata — high-speed corridor. • North-South and East-West Corridors: Extending the GQ. Railway Transport: • Indian Railways is one of the world's largest railway networks — about 68,000 km of route. • About 13,000 passenger trains and 8,000 freight trains daily. • Organised into 17 zones — headquartered in major cities. • Indian Railways carries about 8 billion passengers and 1.5 billion tonnes of freight annually. Gauge: • Broad gauge (1,676 mm): 90%+ of network — most passenger and freight lines. • Metre gauge (1,000 mm): Being converted to broad gauge. • Narrow gauge: Some hilly railways (Darjeeling Himalayan, Nilgiri, Matheran). Key Developments: • Dedicated Freight Corridors: Eastern (Ludhiana–Dankuni) and Western (JNPT–Dadri) DFCs — separating freight trains from passenger trains for speed. • High-speed rail: Ahmedabad–Mumbai bullet train project (Shinkansen technology). • Metro rail: Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata — expanding urban metro networks.

Inland Waterways: • India has about 14,500 km of navigable inland waterways — rivers, canals, backwaters, creeks. • Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) develops and maintains National Waterways. • Major National Waterways: - NW-1: Ganga–Bhagirathi–Hooghly system (Allahabad/Prayagraj to Haldia, 1,620 km) — most important. - NW-2: Brahmaputra (Sadiya to Dhubri, 891 km) — Assam. - NW-3: West Coast Canal + Champakara + Udyogamandal canals in Kerala (205 km). - NW-4: Kakinada to Pondicherry canals (1,095 km). • Advantages of water transport: Cheapest mode; eco-friendly; reduces road congestion. • Limitations: Seasonal (rivers dry up in summer); slow; limited to navigable rivers. Coastal Shipping: • India has a 7,517 km coastline and over 200 ports. • Coastal shipping moves goods between Indian ports — coal from Odisha to Tamil Nadu power plants, for example. • Cheaper and less polluting than road transport for coastal routes. Major Ports (12 Major Ports): • Deendayal (Kandla, Gujarat): Largest port by cargo handled — major gateway for northwest India; oil, fertilisers, chemicals. • Mumbai (JNPT — Jawaharlal Nehru Port): India's busiest container port — handles most of India's container traffic. • Chennai: Major port for automobiles (Hyundai, Ford export through Chennai); containers. • Vishakhapatnam: Largest deep-water port — iron ore exports, naval base. • Kolkata (with Haldia): Major port for northeastern India; coal, jute, foodgrains. • Paradip (Odisha): Major port for mineral exports. • Marmagao (Goa): Iron ore exports (historically India's largest). Air Transport: • India has about 150 airports — operated by AAI (Airports Authority of India). • Major international airports: Delhi (Indira Gandhi International — world's 10th busiest), Mumbai (CSIA), Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata. • Domestic aviation: India is the world's third-largest domestic aviation market — dominated by IndiGo, Air India. • UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) scheme: Connecting smaller towns by subsidised air service. • Air cargo: Growing rapidly for high-value goods (pharmaceuticals, electronics, fresh produce).

Communication in India: Pre-digital Communication: • India Posts: One of the world's largest postal networks — 1.55 lakh post offices (2023); serves rural areas. Speed Post, Money Order, rural banking through post offices. • Telecom: BSNL and MTNL (government); later private operators. Telecom Revolution: • India has the world's second-largest telecom subscriber base — about 1.2 billion subscribers. • Mobile phone penetration is transforming rural India — information, banking, entertainment. • Jio Effect (2016): Reliance Jio's entry with cheap 4G data caused a revolution — data costs in India became the world's lowest; data usage exploded. Digital India: • Digital India programme (launched 2015): Aims to transform India into a digitally empowered knowledge economy. • Key pillars: Broadband highways, universal mobile connectivity, public internet access, e-governance, digital literacy. • BharatNet: Optical fibre network connecting all gram panchayats — rural broadband. Key Digital Developments: 1. UPI (Unified Payments Interface): India's real-time digital payment system — processes billions of transactions monthly. India leads the world in real-time digital payments. 2. Aadhaar: Biometric identity for 1.3 billion people — enables direct benefit transfers, reducing leakages in welfare schemes. 3. E-governance: Online applications for services — passports, driving licences, land records, tax filing. 4. EdTech: Online education platforms — Byju's, Unacademy; SWAYAM (government MOOCs); PM e-Vidya. 5. CoWIN: COVID-19 vaccination management — over 2 billion vaccine doses tracked. 6. Digital health (ABHA): Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission — digital health ID for every Indian. Digital Divide: • Urban India is digitally connected; rural India, especially women and elderly, lags. • States with low literacy and poor infrastructure (Bihar, UP) have lower digital penetration. • BharatNet and PMGDISHA (digital literacy) aim to bridge this gap. Satellite Communication: • ISRO: India's space programme has launched communication satellites (INSAT) and navigation satellites (NavIC/IRNSS). • INSAT satellites support: TV broadcasting, weather forecasting, disaster warning, remote sensing.