Context:
International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) Sees First Russian Coal Trains Bound for India
International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC):
- A multi-modal transportation route linking the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea via Iran and onward to northern Europe via St. Petersburg in Russia.
- Includes seaports, as well as road and rail routes.
- Consists of the 3 corridors – Central, Western and Eastern.
- Aim – To reduce carriage costs and transit time between India and Russia.
- Genesis –
- Was 1st mooted in 2000.
- The idea was to build a transport corridor linking Russia’s Baltic Sea coast to India’s western ports in the Arabian Sea via Iran.
- Russia, India and Iran signed preliminary agreements in 2002.
- Azerbaijan joined the project in 2005.
- Was eventually ratified by 13 countries — India, Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Oman, Tajikistan, Turkey and Ukraine.
- Route – Begins in Mumbai, India and goes to Bandar Abbas and Bandar-e-Anzali in Iran, then crosses the Caspian Sea to reach Astrakhan, Moscow, and St. Petersburg in Russia.
Significance of INSTC for India:
- Enhance Connectivity to Central Asia – Provides greater ease and more cost-effective transport facilities.
- Provide an alternative route to the Suez Canal trade route which reduces transit times to around 25 days
- Energy Security – It bypass choke points like the Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz.
- Enhances access to energy-rich Central Asia, Arctic, Nordic and Baltic region
Source: The Economic Times
Previous Year Question
With reference to India’s projects on connectivity, consider the following statements:
1. East-West Corridor under Golden Quadrilateral Project connects Dibrugarh and Surat.
2. The Trilateral Highway connects Moreh in Manipur and Chiang Mai in Thailand via Myanmar.
3. Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor connects Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh with Kunming in China.
How many of the above statements are correct?
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2023 Prelims]
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
Answer: (d)
Explanation:
Golden Quadrilateral Project network connects Srinagar in the north to Kanyakumari in the south, and Silchar in the east to Porbandar in the west. Trilateral Highway connects Moreh in Manipur and Mae Sot in Thailand via Myanmar. Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor connects Kolkata with Kunming in China. Hence, none of the statements are correct.
