UPSC Prelims 2023 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. 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?

Learn more about Various Indian Road Connectivity Projects.

Explanation:

Golden Quadrilateral Project

The Golden Quadrilateral Project is a major highway development project in India that aims to connect the four major metropolitan cities: Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata. The East-West Corridor is a part of this project and connects Silchar in Assam to Porbandar in Gujarat. So, Statement 1 is not correct.

India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway

• It is a significant regional connectivity project that aims to establish a road link between India, Myanmar, and Thailand.
• The highway will span a distance of approximately 1,360 kilometers (845 miles), starting from Moreh in Manipur, India, and passing through Myanmar before reaching Mae Sot in Thailand.
• It was first proposed by former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and was approved at a ministerial-level meeting between India, Myanmar and Thailand in April 2002.
• The construction of the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway began in 2012 and is being implemented in several phases.
• The India-Myanmar Friendship Road forms the first segment of the IMT Highway. It runs from the border at Tamu/Moreh to Kalemyo and Kalewa.
• Implementing agencies: On the Indian side, the project is being implemented by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) with the cooperation of its counterparts in Myanmar and Thailand and budgetary allocation from the Ministry of Finance.
• The IMT Trilateral Highway connects Moreh in the Indian state of Manipur with Mae Sot in Thailand, passing through Myanmar. It is an ambitious infrastructure project aimed at enhancing connectivity and trade between India, Myanmar, and Thailand. So, Statement 2 is not correct.
  
  

Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor

The Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Economic Corridor (BCIM) is a proposed connectivity project that aims to enhance economic cooperation and trade between Bangladesh, China, India, and Myanmar. The corridor is expected to run from Kunming in China, through Myanmar, and Bangladesh, and eventually reach Kolkata in India. So, Statement 3 is not correct.

Therefore, option (4) is the correct answer.