Transport ( INDIA 2018 )
The Indian railway network is divided into 17 Zones
National Highways / Expressway : 1,03,933 km; State Highways :1,61,487 km
Setu Bharatam is a programme that aims to ensure road safety by making all national highways free of railway level crossings, by 2019, by building railway over bridges/ under passes.
Bharatmala is an upcoming umbrella programme that will subsume unfinished parts of NHDP and also focus on the new initiatives like development of Border and International connectivity roads, economic corridors development, inter corridor and feeder routes, national corridors efficiency improvements, coastal and port connectivity roads, and Green field Express ways.
National highways constitute just two per cent of the country’s road network but carry 40 per cent of the traffic load.
Approximately 95 per cent of the country’s trade by volume and 68 per cent by value is moved through maritime transport.
Erstwhile Kandla is now Deendayal port.
Kolkata Port is the only riverine major port in the country.
Port of Visakhapatnam is a natural harbour.
Kamarajar Port has the distinction of being the only corporate port amongst the major ports administered by the central government.
India has one of the longest navigable and inland water networks. However, cargo transport through these inland waterways is, presently less than 1 per cent of the total cargo movement in the country.
Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) was constituted in 1986, for the development and regulation of inland waterways for shipping and navigation.
111 inland waterways have been declared as ‘National Waterways’ under the National Waterways Act, 2016.
Coastal Shipping is fuel efficient, environment friendly and helps in easing traffic congestion on roads.
The Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS)-UDAN was envisaged in National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP) 2016 with the twin objective of promoting balanced regional growth and making flying affordable for masses. The Scheme, which will be in operation for a period of 10 years, envisages providing connectivity to un-served and underserved airports of the country through revival of existing air strips and airports.
GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) is an augmentation system to enhance the accuracy and integrity of GPS signals to meet precision approach requirements in Civil Aviation and it is being implemented jointly by AAI and ISRO.
