GLOBAL CONNECTIVITY
In the modern age, the correlation
between connectivity and economic growth has got even more pronounced. Growth
in trade, commerce, industrial development and technological advancement have
gone hand in hand with the ease of connecting.
Regional connectivity in South Asia
is today very much of relevance to the wider Indo-Pacific and the world at
large. This is because physical connectivity is only a part of the larger web
of trade and economic interaction, digital connectivity, people-to-people links
and knowledge connectivity that are the defining parameters of the Indo-Pacific
region.
India views the Indo-Pacific as a
positive construct of development and connectivity, in which India can play a
unique role by virtue of its geographical location and economic gravity. As
Prime Minister Modi outlined in his speech at this year’s Shangri-La Dialogue,
we believe in a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific Region, which includes
all nations in this geography and others who have a stake in it.
The shift in the fulcrum of global
economic growth towards the Indo-Pacific is creating unprecedented
opportunities for connectivity in the region.
India has devoted more resources and
assigned greater priority to building connectivity in our immediate
neighborhood. Since 2005-06, India has extended Lines of Credit worth nearly
US$ 25 billion to more than 60 countries. Our Act East Policy is at the heart
of our connectivity orientation and a fulcrum of our broader approach to the
Indo-Pacific.Our efforts are focused on connecting our North-East with the
dynamic economies of South East Asia, and enhancing connectivity within the
North East itself.
Our activities in Bangladesh are
focused on inland water transport, building container depots, upgrading and
building rail and road links, and reviving cross-border energy connectivity.
Our efforts in Myanmar include the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit project,
India-Myanmar- Thailand Trilateral Highway and the Rhi-Tiddim Road, which will
open up new avenues for transport. These go with ongoing soft infrastructure of
connectivity like simplification of visa procedures and border management.
We are engaged in a number of
connectivity projects in Nepal. A number of cross-border rail links,
transmission lines, roads and bridges, and Integrated Check Posts in Nepal have
recently been completed. We are also working on developing inland waterways as
a mode of transportation. Work on a cross-border petroleum products pipeline
from Motihari in India to Alekhgunj in Nepal has started.
India’s connectivity to our West
continues, though, remains blighted. We have sought to bypass an unwilling
regime in Islamabad by establishing in June 2017 an air freight corridor
between India and Afghanistan, which we plan to expand to more cities. We are
also seeking to develop the Chabahar Port as a gateway for onward connectivity
to and from Afghanistan and Central Asia. Since its inauguration last year, we
have shipped about 110 thousand metric tons of much-needed wheat and 2000
metric tons of pulses from India to Afghanistan through this Port. To tap its
full potential for benefit of Afghanistan, we might also need to pursue the
development of a rail line from Chabahar to Zahedan at some future stage. There
is also potential for the development of the International North-South
Transport Corridor which will considerably reduce time and cost of transport
from India to Central Asia.
The Indian Ocean has a vital role to
play as a connector of the littoral nations. Sri Lanka and Maldives are the
focus of our maritime connectivity efforts in the Indian Ocean. In Sri Lanka,
India has extended nearly US$ 1.2 billion towards the development of railway
sector alone. The development of maritime and aviation infrastructure which
will enhance connectivity among the 200 inhabited islands in Maldives and their
connectivity with Indian ports is to mutual advantage.
India and Indonesia are setting up a
Task Force to promote connectivity between Sumatra and Andaman Islands. We are
also looking at developing the Sabang port in partnership with Indonesia. We
intend to establish direct shipping routes between India and Vietnam.
As a member of multilateral/regional
groups and mechanisms such as the ASEAN, BIMSTEC, Mekong Ganga Cooperation and SAARC,
India has been promoting the connectivity agenda very actively and
non-reciprocally in these groups. In SAARC, the South Asia Satellite will
provide access to wide ranging applications in health, education, disaster
response, weather forecasting and communications, enabling deeper connectivity.
India is negotiating an Agreement on
Maritime Transport with ASEAN and exploring ways to link our connectivity
initiatives with the ASEAN Master Plan on Connectivity. We have a vision to
extend the Trilateral Highway further to Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Vietnam. We are
currently discussing a Coastal Shipping Agreement and a Motor Vehicle Agreement
in the BIMSTEC format and also in the Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal
(BBIN) group.
In terms of financing, besides World
Bank, ADB and other traditional sources, India welcomes the role of new
institutions such as the New Development Bank and the AIIB in promoting
regional connectivity. As a founding member of these new institutions, India is
playing a role to ensure that the best practices learnt from existing
multilateral development banks and financial institutions are practiced by
these new bodies.
Beyond governments, the involvement
of the private sector will be critical for financial and technical resources
needed for massive connectivity and infrastructure demands in the Indo-Pacific.
The new U.S. initiatives in the region --- like promoting digital economy,
energy and infrastructure with an initial seed capital of U.S. $ 113 million;
and passage of the BUILD Act which has cleared the way for the establishment of
a new International Development Finance Corporation --- herald a new model of
private-public partnership for connectivity. We wholeheartedly welcome that and
look for opportunities to work with these institutions to promote shared
connectivity objectives in the Indo-Pacific.
INTERNAL CONNECTIVITY
The transport system in India includes Rail transport, Road transport, Air transport, water transport and portal connectivity. India has one of the largest road networks in the world, largest railway system in Asia and second largest in the world. Water transport in India is the oldest means of transport is still very poor.
Indian Railway is the 3rd largest
rail network in the world after US and China. It is a multi-gauge,
multi-traction system covering Broad Gauge (1676 mm), Meter Gauge (1000 mm),
Narrow Gauge (762/610 mm) with around 64600 km route.
1. Indian Railway has 17 zones
including newly formed Kolkata metro zone with production units are Chitranjan
Locomotive works at Chitranjan, Diesel Locomotive works at Varanasi, Diesel
Loco modernisation works at Patiala, Integral coach Factory at Chennai, Rail
coach Factory at Kapurthala, Railwheel factory at Bengaluru.
2. The first rail railway line in
India was operated for public traffic in 1853, between Bombay (Now Mumbai) to
Thane over distance of 34 km and it was nationalised in 1950.
3. The railways recognised by UNESCO are Darjeeling, Himalayan Railways, Nilgiri Mountain Railways, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, and Kalka-Shimla Railways.
4. The Vivek Express — from
Dibrugarh to Kanyakumari — travels 4,273 km, making it the longest-run in terms
of total time & distance.
5. The Konkan Railways passes
through 3 states of India – Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka. It runs along the
Indian west coast parallel to Arabian Sea and Western Ghats. It is an extremely
beautiful and scenic route running from Maharashtra till Karnataka.
6. The Dedicated Freight Corridor
Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL) is a corporation run by the Ministry of
Railways (India) to undertake planning & development, mobilisation of
financial resources and construction, maintenance and operation of the
Dedicated Freight Corridors. It is both enabler and beneficiary of other key
Government of India schemes, such as Industrial corridor, Make in India,
Start-up India, Stand-up India, Sagarmala, Bharatmala, UDAN-RCS, Digital India,
BharatNet and UMANG.
Road Transport
Roads help in connecting far-fetch
villages, interior countryside and hill areas which are not connected with railways.
It is complimentary to railways. It acts as arteries for goods and passenger
arriving at the railway station and often provides last mile connectivity.
India’s road network is the third largest in the world.
1. Nagpur plan of 1943 classified
the roads into four categories- National Highway, Highway, State Highway,
District roads and Village roads. National Highways comes under jurisdiction of
National Highway Authority of India (NHAI).
2. Longest National Highway: NH 44
covers the North-South Corridor of NHDP and it is officially listed as running
over 3,745 km (2,327 miles) from Srinagar to Kanyakumari.
3. Shortest national Highway:
National Highway 47A has length of 6 km tthat links the Junction with NH 47 at
Kundanoor to the Town of Willington Island in Cochin.
How National Highways are named in
India
4. Best Expressway in India: The
Ahmedabad Vadodara Expressway is known as one of the best Expressway in India
and also referred as the National Expressway 1.
5. Longest Elevated Freeway: Chennai
Port Maduravoyal Elevated Expressway will be the longest Elevated Expressway in
India.
6. Golden Quadrilateral (GQ) stretch
which connects the four metro cities of India (Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and
Chennai).
7. National Highways are specifying
by Yellow and White colour milestones. State Highways are specifying by Green
and White colour milestones. City roads are specify by black and white colour
milestones.
Air Transport
The Air transport is the fastest and
the costlier mode of transport.
1. It was started in 1911 in India
between Allahabad and Naini
2. In 1995, International Airport
Authority of India and National Airports Authority were merged to form Airports
Authority of India. The authority manages the Civil Aviation Training College
at Allahabad and National Institute of Aviation Management and Research at
Delhi.
3. Pawan Hans Helicopter Limited has
providing helicopter support services to the petroleum sector like ONGC, ODL
etc. and also provides services to certain state Governments, PSU and in the
North-Eastern States.
Water Transport
Water transport in India is one of
the cheapest modes of transportation.
1.
There are six national water ways set-up by Inland water ways Authority
of India in 1986.
2. Six National Water Ways: NW1-
Allahabad along Ganga River, NW2- Sadiya-Dhubri along Brahmaputra River, NW3-
Kottapuram-Kollam, NW4- Bhadrachalam to Rajahmundri and Wazirabad to Vijaywada
along Godavri and Krishna River, NW5- Mangalgarhi to Paradeep and Talcher to
Dharmara along Mahanadi and Brahmnai River, NW6- Lakhipur to Bhanga along the
Brak River.
3. There are 13 major ports and 187
minor ports. Maritime transport comes under the concurrent list of the
Constitution, so central shipping ministry administer major and minor ports are
administered by the respective coastal states.
Communication System
Communication system in modern line
was started with Indian National Satellite System. It is one of the largest
communication systems in Asia-Pacific Region. It is joint venture of Department
of Space, Department of Telecommunication, AIR, IMD and Doordarshan.
1. India's telecommunication network
is the second largest in the world by number of telephone users (both fixed and
mobile phone).
2. Postal Services, Telegraph
services are other important communication system but a telegraph is
permanently closed in 2013.
3. First Post Office of India:
Bombay
4. Founder of Postal in India:
Governor General Lord Dalhousie
5. First postage stamp of India:
Sinde Dawk in 1852
6. First Stamp of Independent India:
Issued on 21 November 1947. It depicts the Indian Flag with the patriots'
slogan, Jai Hind (Long Live India).
7. First airmail: From Allahabad to
Naini in 1911
8. First Post office outside India:
Dakshin Gangotri, Antarctica in 1983
9. Postal staff collages: Ghaziabad
10. Indian Postal Day: 10th October
11. Courier services and internet
are now predominant communication system in India after telecommunication.
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