CBSE Class 10 Geography Lifelines of National Economy Questions and Answers

Question. Which two of the following extreme locations are connected by the east-west corridor? 
(A) Mumbai and Nagpur
(B) Silchar and Porbandar
(C) Mumbai and Kolkata
(D) Nagpur and Siliguri

Answer : B

Question. Which mode of transportation reduces transshipment losses and delays?
(A) Railways
(B) Pipeline
(C) Roadways
(D) Waterways

Answer : B

Question. Which one of the following states is not connected with the HVJ pipeline? 
(A) Madhya Pradesh
(B) Maharashtra
(C) Gujarat
(D) Uttar Pradesh

Answer : B

Question. Which one of the following ports is the deepest land-locked and well-protected port along the east coast? 
(A) Chennai
(B) Paradip
(C) Tuticorin
(D) Visakhapatnam

Answer : D

Question. Which one of the following is the most important mode of transportation in India? 
(A) Pipeline
(B) Railways
(C) Roadways
(D) Airways

Answer : B

Question. Which one of the following terms is used to describe trade between two or more countries? 
(A) International trade
(B) Inter-state trade
(C) Internal trade
(D) Local trade

Answer : A

Question. Which one of the following states has the Highest Road Density? 
(A) Goa
(B) Kerala
(C) Karnataka
(D) Gujarat

Answer : B

Question. The First Class Mail includes which one of the following? 
(A) Book packets
(B) Registered newspapers
(C) Envelopes and cards
(D) Periodicals and journals

Answer : C

Question. Study the picture given below and answer the question that follows:
This is a picture of:
(A) Super Highway
(B) State Highway
(C) Expressway
(D) National Highway

Answer : C

Question. Which one of the following means of transport is used for carrying solids in a slurry form?
(A) Trucks
(B) Railways
(C) Pipelines
(D) Ships

Answer. C

Question. Study the below given information and identify the correct option in reference to it from among the given options: 
Since the ancient period, India was one of the seafaring countries. Its seamen sailed far and near, thus, carrying and spreading Indian commerce and culture. Waterways are the cheapest means of transport. They are most suitable for carrying heavy and bulky goods.
(A) Roadways
(B) Waterways
(C) Highways
(D) Airways

Answer : B

Question. Study the below given information and identify the correct option in reference to it from among the given options: 
From oil field in upper Assam to Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh), via Guwahati, Barauni and Allahabad. It has branches from Barauni to Haldia, via Rajbandh, Rajbandh to Mourigram and Guwahati to Siliguri.
(A) Waterways
(B) Railways
(C) Pipelines
(D) Sea ports

Answer : C

Question. Find the incorrect option from the following: 
(A) Export and Import are the components of trade.
(B) The balance of Trade of a Country is the addition of its Export and Import.
(C) When the value of Exports exceeds the value of imports, it is called a Favourable Balance of Trade.
(D) On the contrary, if the value of Imports exceeds the value of Exports, it is termed as Unfavourable Balance of Trade.

Answer : B

Question. Find the incorrect option from the following: 
(A) National Highways link extreme parts of the Country.
(B) These are the Primary Road Systems and are laid and maintained by Central Public Works Department (CPWD).
(C) A number of major National Highways run in North-South and East-West directions.
(D) The historical Sher Shah Suri Marg is called National Highway No. 4 between Delhi and Amritsar.

Answer : D

Case Based Questions

1. Read the given text and answer the following questions:

Ever since humans appeared on the earth, they have used different means of communication. But, the pace of change, has been rapid inmodern times. Long distance communication is far easier without physical movement of the communicator or receiver. Personalcommunication and mass communication including television, radio, press, films, etc. are the major means of 4 communication in thecountry. The Indian postal network is the largest in the world. It handles parcels as well as personal written communications. Cards andenvelopes are considered first-class mail and are airlifted between stations covering both land and air. The second-class mail includes bookpackets, registered newspapers and periodicals. They are carried by surface mail, covering land and water transport. To facilitate quickdelivery of mails in large towns and cities, six mail channels have been introduced recently. They are called Rajdhani Channel, MetroChannel, Green Channel, Business Channel, Bulk Mail Channel and Periodical Channel.

Question. Examine the role of the Indian postal network. 
Answer:
(i) It has helped the country to engage in communication and social-economic development.
(ii) It provides various facilities like speed post,business, registered post, ordinary post. (iii) Any other relevant point (Any one)

Question. Differentiate between mass communication and personal communication. 
Answer:
(i) Mass Communication is the medium which provides entertainment as well as creates awareness among the masses. It includes radio,television, newspapers, magazines, books, films etc. whereas Personal Communication is between person to person.
(ii) Any other relevant point (Any one)

Question. Analyse the significance of communication for a nation. 
Answer:
(i) This is the age of communication using the telephone, television, films, and the Internet. (ii) Even
books, magazines and newspapers areimportant means of communication.
(iii) Various means of communication have connected the world closer.
(iv) It is the source ofentertainment and knowledge.
(v) Any other relevant point (Any one)

Question. Name the cities that are connected by National Highway No.1.
Answer: Delhi and Amritsar.

Question. What are known as State Highways?
Answer: Roads linking a state capital with different district headquarters are known as State High Ways.

Question. What comes under the category of second-class mail.
Answer: Book packets, registered newspapers and periodicals come under the category of second-class mail.

Question. Which is a major commodity imported by India?
Answer: Petroleum and petroleum products.

Question. Which state of India has highest density of roads?
Answer: Kerala has highest density of roads.

Question. Why was Border Roads Organisation established in 1960?
Answer: It was established for the development of the roads of strategic importance in the northern and north-eastern border areas.

Question. Why are metalled roads called all weather roads.
Answer: Metalled roads are made of cement, concrete or even belumen of coal. They do not go out of use in the rainy season. Therefore, they are called all weather roads.

Question. Why is air transport preferred in north-eastern states of India?
Answer: (i) The air travel is the fastest, most comfortable and prestigious mode of transport.
(ii) It can cover very difficult terrains like high mountains, dreary deserts, and dense forests and also long oceanic stretches with great ease.
(iii) Airways have made access easier in the north-eastern part of the country which has big rivers, dissected relief, dense forests and frequent floods and international frontiers.
(iv) It is very useful especially during natural calamities.

Question. Why is the importance of road transport in comparison to rail transport growing in India?
Or
Why is road transport more useful than rail transport in India? Explain four reasons.
Answer: The growing importance of road transport in comparison to rail transport is because of the following reasons:
(i) Construction cost of roads is much lower than that of railways lines.
(ii) Roads can pass through comparatively more dissected and undulating topography.
(iii) Road transport is economical in transportation of few persons and relatively smaller amount of goods over short distances.
(iv) It provides door to door services thus the cost of loading and unloading is much lower.
(v) It is used as feeder to other modes of transport. To reach any destination be it railway station, sea port or airport, one needs to travel through roads.

Question. State any three merits of roadways.
Answer: Three merits of roadways are:
(a) Construction cost of roads is much lower.
(b) It provides door to door services thus the cost of loading and unloading is much lower.
(c) It is used as feeder to other modes of transport. To reach any destination be it railway station, sea port or airport, one needs to travel through roads.

Question. What is meant by trade? What is the difference between international and local trade?
Answer: The exchange of goods among people, states and countries is referred to as trade. Trade between two or more countries is termed as international trade but trade which occurs in a region within the same country is called local trade.

Question. Name three major super highway projects. What is the main objective of these Super Highways?
Answer: Three Super Highways are:
(i) Golden Quadrilateral Super Highways: It links Delhi-Kolkata-Chennai-Mumbai and Delhi by six-lane Super Highways.
(ii) The North-South corridors linking Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) and Kanniyakumari (Tamil Nadu).
(iii) East-West Corridor linking Silcher (Assam) and Porbander (Gujarat). The major objective of these Super Highways is to reduce the time and distance between the mega cities of India.

Question. Name six mail channels introduced by Indian postal network.
Answer: Six mail channels for quick delivery of mails in large towns and cities are:
(i) Rajdhani Channel
(ii) Metro Channel
(iii) Green Channel
(iv) Business Channel
(v) Bulk Mail Channel
(vi) Periodical Channel

Question. Distinguish between national highways and state highways.
Answer:

Question. What are border roads? What is its importance?
Answer: Strategically important roads in the bordering areas of the country are called border roads. Border Roads Organisation (BRO) which is a Government of India undertaking constructs and maintains border roads. This organisation was established in 1960 for the development of the roads of strategic importance in the northern and northeastern border areas.
Border roads are important because they have improved accessibility in areas of difficult terrain. They have helped in the economic development of border areas.

Question. Write a note on the changing nature of the international trade in the last fifteen years.
Answer: International trade is defined as the exchange of goods and services between two or more countries. International trade has undergone a sea change in the last fifteen years. Exchange of commodities and goods have been superceded by the exchange of information and knowledge. India has emerged as a software giant at the international level and it is earning huge foreign exchange through the export of information technology. Advancement of international trade of a country is an index to its economic prosperity. It is, therefore, considered the economic barometre for a country. Income earned from international trade constitutes a major part in the net national income. Large international trade leads to revival of domestic economy.
Major Exports
• the agricultural and allied products—2.53%
• ores and minerals—9.12%
• gems and jewellery—26.75
• chemical and allied products—24.45%
• engineering goods—35.63%
• petroleum products—86.12%
Major Imports
• petroleum and petroleum products—41.87%
• pearls and precious stones—29.26%
• inorganic chemicals—29.39%
• coal, coke and briquttes—94.17%
• machinery—12.56%
• Bulk imports include fertilisers—67%, cereals—25.23%, edible oils—7.94% and news print—5.51. India has trade relations with all the major trading blocks and all geographical regions of the world.

Question. Why are the means of transportation and communication called the lifelines of a nation and its economy?
Answer: The development of a country depends upon the production of goods and services as well as their movement to their destination. Transport plays an important role in the economy. Because of transport raw materials reach to the factory or industry and finished products reach to the consumer. Transport has helped in both production and distribution of goods. Hence, efficient means of transport are prerequisites for fast development.
India is well-linked with the rest of the world despite its vast size, diversity and linguistic and socio-cultural plurality. Railways, airways, water ways, newspapers, radio, television, cinema and internet, etc. have been contributing to its socio-economic progress in many ways. The trades from local to international levels have added to the vitality of its economy. It has also enriched our life and added substantially to growing amenities and facilities for the comforts of life. Hence, it is right to say that means of transportation and communication are the lifelines of a nation and its economy.

Question. Means of transport and communication are called the lifelines of a nation and its economy. What are the main reasons behind it?
Or
How are means of transport and communications complementary to each other? Explain with three examples.
Answer: (i) The development of a country depends upon the production of goods and services as well as their movement to their destination. Transport plays an important role in the economy. Because of transport, raw materials reach to the factory or industry and finished products reach to the consumers. Transport has helped in both production and distribution of goods. Hence, efficient means of transport are prerequisites for fast development.
(ii) For a long time, trade and transport were restricted to a limited space. With the development in science and technology, the area of influence of trade and transport expanded far and wide. Today, the world has been converted to a large village with the help of efficient and fast moving transport. Transport has been able to achieve this with the help of equally developed communications system. Therefore, transport, communications and trade are complementary to each other.
(iii) India is well-linked with the rest of the world despite its vast size, diversity, linguistic and socio-cultural plurality. Railways, airways, waterways, newspapers, radio, television, cinema and internet, etc. have been contributing to its socio-economic progress in many ways. The trades from local to international levels have added to the vitality of its economy. It has also enriched our life and added substantially to growing amenities and facilities for the comforts of life. Hence, it is right to say that means of transportation and communication are the lifelines of a nation and its economy.

Question. What is importance of railway transport?
Answer: (i) Railways are the prime mode of transportation for freight and passengers in India.
(ii) Railways also make it possible to conduct multifarious activities like business, sightseeing, pilgrimage along with transportation of good over longer distances.
(iii) Apart from an important means of transport the Indian Railways have been a great integrating force for more than 150 years.
(iv) Railways in India bind the economic life of the country as well as accelerate the development of the industry and agriculture.

Question. Quiz Drive
1. Northern terminal of the North-south corridor.
2. The name of National Highway No. 1.
3. The headquarter of the southern railway zone.
4. The rail gauge with a track width of 1.676 m.
5. The southern terminal of the National Highway No. 7.
6. A Riverine Port.
7. Busiest railway junction in Northern India.
Answer:1. SRINAGAR
2. SHER SHAH SURI MARG
3. CHENNAI
4. BROAD GAUGE
5. KANYAKUMARI
6. KOLKATA
7. MUGHALSARAI

Question : What are pipelines used for? Describe two important network of pipeline transportation in India.
Answer :
(a) In the past pipelines are used for transporting water to cities and industries.
(b) Now pipelines are used also for transportation of crude oil, petroleum products and natural gas from oil and natural gas fields to refineries, fertilizer factories and to big thermal power plants. Solids also can be transported through a pipeline when converted into slurry.
(c) Though initial cost of laying pipeline is high, the running and maintenance cost is very low. It saves trans-shipment loses and delays.
(a) Assam to Kanpur: There is a pipeline transportation from oil fields in upper Assam to Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh via Guwahati, Barauni and Allahabad for the transportation of petroleum. It has branches from Barauni to Haldia via Rajbandh to Maurigram and Guwahati to Siliguri.
(b) HBJ pipeline (HVJ): It is a gas pipeline from Hazira in Gujarat to Jagadishpur in Uttar Pradesh via Bijaipur(Vijaypur) in Madhya Pradesh . It has branches to Kota in Rajasthan, Shahjahanpur, Babrala and other places in Uttar Pradesh . It is also connected with Mumbai High and South Bassein in Maharashtra.

Question : Why are inland waterways significant? Mention any four National Water ways.
Answer :
(a) Waterways are the cheapest means of transport, most suitable for carrying heavy and bulky goods.
(b) It is a fuel efficient and environment friendly mode of transport.
(c) India has inland navigable waterways of 14,500 km in length. Out of these 3700 km are navigable by mechanized boats.
(d) The Government has declared the following waterways as National Waterways.
(1) The Ganga river between Allahabad and Haldia covering 1620 Km. (NW.1)
(2) The Brahmaputra river between Sadia and Dhubri covering 891 km. (NW.2)
(3) The West Coast canal between Kollam and Kottayam in Kerala with 168 km. The Champakara canal with 14 km and the Udyogmandal canal with 22 km in Kerala. (Total 205 Km in Kerala) All NW No.3
(4) Specified stretches of Godavari and Krishna rivers along with Kakinada and Puducherry stretches of canals with 1078 km is NW. No.4.
(5) Specified stretches of river Brahmani along with Matai river, delta channels of Mahandi and Brahmani rivers and East coast canal, all with 588 km is NW No.5.
(6) There are some other inland waterways like Mandavi, Zuari and Cumberjua, Sunderbans, Barak, backwaters of Kerala and tidal stretches of some other rivers.

Question : Why is air travel preferred in north eastern states?
Answer :
i. Air transport is the fastest, most comfortable and prestigious mode of transport.
ii. It can travel very high terrains, vast deserts dense forests, and large oceanic stretches with great ease where other modes of transportation are difficult.
iii. The north eastern part of India is marked with the presence of big rivers, frequent floods dissected relief, rugged topography, dense forests and international frontiers. Other modes of transportation is impossible especially at times of emergencies.

Question : Describe the ethnic composition of the people in Belgium.
Answer : Ethnic composition of Belgium
■ The ethnic composition of Belgium is very complex.
■ 59% of the total population, lives in the Flemish region and speaks Dutch language.
■ Another 40% people live in the Wallonia region and speak French.
■ Remaining 1% of the Belgians speak German.
■ In the capital city Brussels, 80% people speak French while 20% are
Dutch-speaking.
■ The minority French-speaking community was relatively rich and powerful.

Question : State the basic reason for the tension between the French speaking and Dutch speaking communities in Belgium.
Answer :
■ The minority French-speaking community was relatively rich and powerful.
■ This was resented by the Dutch-speaking community who got the benefit of economic development and education much later.
■ This led to tension between the Dutch-speaking and French-speaking communities during the 1950s and 1960s.
■ In the capital city Brussels, Dutch-speaking people are in a minority as they are a majority in the country.
:- An island nation situated in the southern coast of Tamil Nadu in the Indian Ocean. It has about two crore people just equal to Haryana.

Question : Describe the ethnic diversity of the people in Sri Lanka.
Answer : Ethnic variations in Sri Lanka
■ The major social groups in Sri Lanka are:
● The Sinhala-speakers (74%)
● The Tamil-speakers (18%)
■ Among Tamils, there are two subgroups.
■ Tamil natives of the country are called ‘Sri Lankan Tamils’ (13%).
■ The rest(5%), whose forefathers came from India as plantation workers are called ‘Indian Tamils’.
■ Most of the Sinhala-speaking people are Buddhist, whereas the Tamils are Hindus or Muslims.
■ There are about 7% Christians, who are both Tamil and Sinhala.
Note:- Name the conflicting group of people in Srilanka: Sinhala-speakers and the Tamil-speakers

Question : Define the term ‘majoritarianism’.
Answer : Majoritarianism: A belief that the majority community should be able to rule the country in whichever ways it wants, by disregarding the wishes and needs of the minority.
:- Sri Lanka became free in 1948.

Points to remember for Contemporary India Chapter 07 Lifelines of National Economy

The modes of transportation and communication like railways, airways, waterways, newspapers, radio, television, cinema, internet, etc are contributing to India’s socio-economic progress by linking India with the world.

Transportin India
The movement of goods and services from supply locations to demand locations is termed as transportation. The efficient means of transportation is a necessary condition for fast development of a country. There are different means of transport through which movement of these goods and services is done over three important domains of the earth i.e. land, water and air.

Roadways
India has one of the largest road networks in the world which is about 56 lakh km. Road transport is growing in importance as compared to railways because
• Construction cost of roads is much lower than that of railway
lines.
• Roads can be built in uneven surfaces like hills and mountains.
• Roads can be built over higher slopes and can traverse (cross) mountains such as the Himalayas.
Road transport is economical in transportation of few persons and relatively smaller amount of goods over short distances.
• Road transport also provides door-to-door service, thus, the cost of loading and unloading is much lower.
• Road transport links other modes of transport like between railway stations, air and sea ports.

Classification of Roads on the Basis of Capacity
In India, roads are classified in six classes according to their capacity as

(i) Golden Quadrilateral Super Highways
This is an important road development project which has been launched by the Government of India. These are six lane super highways which connect Delhi-Kolkata,
Chennai-Mumbai and Delhi. They have the following corridors
• North-South corridors1 linking Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) and Kanniyakumari (Tamil Nadu).
• East-West corridors2 linking Silchar (Assam) and Porbander (Gujarat).
The major objective of these super highways is to save time and reduce distance between the above mega cities in India.
National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) is the regulatory which implements these highway projects.

(ii) National Highways
They link extreme parts of the country. National Highways are the primary road systems and are constructed and maintained by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) under NHAI’s supervision. India has a number of National highways which connect the North-South and East-West parts of the country.
The National Highway No-1 is a historical highway which is known as Sher Shah Suri Marg. This highways connects Delhi and Amritsar.

(iii) State Highways
These are roads linking a state capital with its district headquarters. They are constructed and maintained by the State Public Works Department (SPWD) in States and Union Territories.

(iv) District Roads
These roads connect the district headquarters with other places of the district. These roads are maintained by the Zila Parishad of the district.

(v) Other Roads
Rural roads, which link rural areas and villages with towns, are classified under this category. These are constructed under Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).
Under this scheme, special provisions have been made to link every village to a major town in the country by an all season motorable road.

(vi) Border Roads
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) constructs and maintains roads in the border areas of the country. This organisation was established in 1960.
The objective of this organisation is to develop roads of strategic importance in the Northern and North-Eastern border areas. Border roads have improved accessibility in areas of difficult terrain and have helped in the economic development of these areas.
The World’s Longest Highway Atal Tunnel (9.02 km) has been built by Border Roads Organisation. It connects Manali to Lahaul-spiti. It is located on Pir Pranjal-range of Himalaya at an altitude of 3000 metres from the mean sea level.

Classification of Roads on the Basis of Material Used
On this basis of type of material used, roads are of two types
(i) Metalled Roads They may be made of cement, concrete or even bitumen of coal. Therefore, these are all weather roads.
(ii) Unmetalled or Unpaved Roads They are made of clay, crushed rock and can be used in dry season only. They have no use during rainy season.

Railways
Railways are the principal mode of transportation for freight (goods) and passengers in India. They carry bulky weight and are excellent for long distances. The Indian Railways network spread over a route length of 68,442 km. Railways provide a number of different activities to people like business, sightseeing, pilgrimage as well as transportation of goods over longer distances.
For the administrative convenience, Indian railways are divided into 16 zones. There are 3 types of guages (railways track) i.e. broad guage, metre guage and narrow guage.
Indian Railways is the largest public sector undertaking in the country. The first train started from Mumbai to Thane in 1853, covering a distance of 34 km.

Challenges for Indian Railway
• It is difficult to lay railway lines in the hilly regions of peninsular India. In these regions railways tracts are laid through low hills, gaps or tunnels.
• The Himalayan mountainous regions too are unfavourable for the construction of railway lines due to high relief, sparse population and lack of economic opportunities.
• It requires construction of bridges over rivers in India.
• It is difficult to lay railway lines on the sandy plain of Western Rajasthan, swamps of Gujarat, forested tracks of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Jharkhand.
• There are problems of sinking of railway tracks. For example, Sahyadri or Western Ghats has faced a number of problems such as sinking of track in some stretches and landslides.
• The initial costs of laying the tracks are too high.

Problems of Indian Railways
• Many passengers travel without tickets.
• Theft and damaging of railway property has not yet stopped completely.
• People stop train by pulling the chain unnecessarily that causes heavy damage to the railway.

Pipelines
Pipelines are used for transporting crude oil, petroleum products and natural gas and solids like iron ore when converted into slurry3. Inland locations of refineries like Barauni, Mathura, Panipat are viable because of pipelines.
• Initial cost of laying pipelines is high (especially for underground pipelines), but subsequent running costs are minimal. Pipelines control trans-shipment losses or delays.

Important Pipeline Networks
Important pipeline transportation networks for oil and gas are
• Pipeline from Oil Fields in Upper Assam to Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh) via Guwahati, Barauni and Allahabad It has branches from Barauni to Haldia, via Rajbandh, Rajbandh to Maurigram and Guwahati to Siliguri.
• Pipeline from Salaya in Gujarat to Jalandhar in Punjab, via Viramgam, Mathura, Delhi and Sonipat It has branches to connect Koyali (near Vadodara, Gujarat) Chakshu and other places.
• Gas Pipeline from Hazira in Gujarat to Jagdishpur (Uttar Pradesh) via Vijaipur (Madhya Pradesh) It has branches to Kota in Rajasthan, Shahajahanpur, Barbala and other places in Uttar Pradesh.

Waterways
Waterways are the cheapest means of transport. It is fuel-efficient, environment-friendly and suitable for carrying heavy and bulky goods.

Inland Waterways
India has inland navigation waterways of about 14,500 km in length out of which 5,685 km are navigable by mechanised boats.
The waterways declared as the National Waterways are
National
Waterways
Description
NW - 1 Allahabad to Haldia (1,620 km) on the Ganga river system.
NW - 2 Sadiya to Dhubri (891 km) on the Brahmaputra river.
NW - 3 West-Coast canal in Kerala (205 km), (Kottapuram-
Komman, Udyogamandal and Champakkara canals).
NW - 4 Parts of Krishna and Godavari rivers along with
Kakinada-Puducherry stretch of canals (1,078 km).
NW - 5 Parts of Brahmani river along withMatai river, delta channels ofMahanadi and Brahmani rivers and East coast canal (588 km).

There are some other inland waterways on which substantial transportation takes place. These are Mandavi, Zuari and Cumberjua, Sunderbans, Barak and backwaters of Kerala.
Major Sea Ports The country’s 95% foreign trade is moved by sea that constitute 68% in terms of value. With a long coastline of about 7516.6 km, India has 12 major and 200 intermediate and minor ports. Some prominent sea ports of India are
• Kandla It is located in the Gulf of Kuchchh. It was the first port which was developed soon after independence when the Karachi port went to Pakistan due to partition. It was developed to facilitate the volume of trade on the Mumbai port. It is also known as the Deendayal port.
It is a tidal4 port. It handles exports5 and imports of highly productive granary and industrial belt stretching across the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
• Mumbai It is the biggest port in India with natural harbour. Jawahar Lal Nehru port developed nearby to ease off the decongestion in Mumbai port.
• Marmagao (Goa) It is the premier iron ore exporting port in India. This port account for about 50% of India’s iron ore export.
• New Mangalore It is located in Karnataka. It caters to export of iron-ore from Kudremukh mines.
• Kochchi It is the extreme South-Western port located at the entrance of a lagoon with a natural harbour.
• Tuticorin It is located in Tamil Nadu. It is the extreme South-Eastern port with a natural harbour and hinterland8. It caters cargoes to Sri Lanka, Maldives etc.
• Chennai It is the oldest artificial port ranking next to Mumbai in terms of cargo, volume of trade.
• Vishakhapatnam It is the deepest landlocked and well protected port for exporting iron-ore.
• Paradwip It is located in Odisha and specialises to export iron-ore.
• Kolkata It is a tidal port and inland riverine port9. It serves as a very large and rich hinterland of Ganga-Brahmaputra basin.
• Haldia It was developed to relieve pressure from Kolkata port.

Airways
The air travel is the fastest, most comfortable and prestigious mode of transport. It can cover very difficult terrains like high mountains, vast deserts, dense forests and long oceanic stretches with great ease. Air transport was nationalised in 1953. Air India provides domestic and international air services.
Pawanhans Helicopters Limited provides helicopter services to Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) to inaccessible areas and difficult terrains like the North-Eastern states and the interior parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Communication
It is an act of exchanging information. Personal communication and mass communication including television, radio, press, films, etc are the major means of communication in the country.

Personal Communication
It is a process of transferring or transmitting message between two people. Mobile phones, postal letters are the examples of personal communication.

Indian Postal Network
The Indian Postal Network is the largest in the world. It handles parcels as well as personal written communications. Mails in India are categorised viz, first-class mail and second-class mail.

Post cards and envelopes are considered as first-class mail.
These mails are airlifted between stations covering both land and air.
Second-class mail includes book packets, registered newspapers and periodicals. These mails are carried by surface mails, covering land and water transport.

Mail Channels
These facilitate quick delivery of mails in large cities. There are six mail channels i.e. Rajdhani Channel, Metro Channel, Green Channel, Business Channel, Bulk Mail Channel and Periodic Channel.

Telecom Networks
India has one of the largest telecom networks in Asia. To improve telephonic communications from the grassroot to the higher level, the government has made special provision to extend 24 hours Subscriber Trunk Dialling (STD) facility to every village in the country.
Excluding urban places more than two-thirds of the villages in India have already been covered with Subscriber Trunk Dialling (STD) telephone facility.
There is a uniform rate of STD facilities all over India. It has been made possible by integrating the development in space technology with communication technology.

Digital India
It is a programme to prepare India for a knowledge based transformation. The focus of Digital India Programme is on being transformative to realise – IT (Indian Talent) + IT (Information Technology) – IT (India Tomorrow) and is on making technology central to enabling change.

Mass Communication
It is a process of transferring or transmitting a message to a large group of people, which requires the use of some forms of media. It provides entertainment and creates awareness among people about various national programmes and policies. It includes radio, television, newspapers, magazines, books and films.

Television and Radio
All India Radio (Akashwani) broadcasts a variety of programmes in national, regional and local languages for various categories of people.
Doordarshan, the national television channel of India is one of the largest terrestrial networks in the world. It broadcasts a variety of programmes from entertainment, educational to sports, etc for people of different age groups.

Newspapers, Periodicals and Magazines
In India, a large number of periodicals and newspapers are published annually. They are of different types depending upon their periodicity.
Newspaper are published in 100 languages and dialects.
The largest number of newspapers published in the country are in Hindi, followed by English and Urdu.

Films
India is the largest producer of feature films in the world.
It produces short films, video feature films and video short films. The Central Board of Film Certification is the authority to certify both Indian and foreign films exhibited in India.

International Trade
The exchange of goods among people, states and countries is referred to as trade. Trade between two countries is called international trade.
The market is a place where such exchanges take place. The international trade may take place through sea, air or land routes. Local trade is carried in cities, towns and villages.
State level trade is carried between two or more states.
International trade is very essential and no country can survive without it. It is because the resources are distributed unevenly over the earth’s surface and no country is self-sufficient in every kind of resources.

Balance of Trade (BOT)
Export and import are the components of trade. The balance of trade is the difference between export and import of a country.
When the value of export exceeds the value of imports, it is called a favourable balance of trade. On the other hand, if the value of imports exceeds the value of exports, it is termed as unfavourable balance of trade.
India has trade relations with all the major trading blocks and all geographical regions of the world.

Exported and Imported Commodities
The commodities exported from India to other countries include gems and jewellery, chemicals and related products, agriculture and allied products, etc.
India has emerged as a software giant at the international level and it is earning large foreign exchange through the export of information technology.
The commodities imported from other countries of India include petroleum crude and products, gems and jewellery, chemicals and related products, base metals, electronic items, machinery, agriculture and allied products.

Tourism as a Trade
Tourism in India has grown substantially over the last three decades. More than 15 million people are directly engaged in the tourism industry in India.
Tourism promotes national integration and provides support to local handicrafts and cultural pursuits. It also helps in the development of international understanding about our culture and heritage.
Foreign tourists visit India for heritage tourism, eco-tourism, adventure tourism, cultural tourism, medical tourism and business tourism.