Consider the following statements:
- 1.The value of Indo-Sri Lanka trade has consistently increased in the last decade.
- 2.“Textile and textile articles” constitute an important item of trade between India and Bangladesh.
- 3.In the last five years, Nepal has been the largest trading partner of India in South Asia.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (b) 2 only
Only statement 2 is correct: textiles are among the main traded sectors between India and Bangladesh. India-Sri Lanka trade has gone up and down rather than rising every year, and Bangladesh, not Nepal, is India's biggest trading partner in South Asia.
- ✗ 1. Sri Lanka's trade data show total India-Sri Lanka merchandise trade of US$ 4,648 million in 2014, 4,911 in 2015, then a fall to 4,369 in 2016, a rise to 5,218 in 2017 and falls to 5,008 in 2018 and 4,667 in 2019. It did not rise consistently.
- ✓ 2. In a Lok Sabha reply the Government of India listed Textiles first among the most traded sectors between India and Bangladesh; Bangladesh's readymade garment exports to India have also grown since 2011.
- ✗ 3. India's High Commission in Dhaka states that Bangladesh is India's biggest trading partner in South Asia, so Nepal is not the largest.
Remember · Bangladesh is India's biggest trading partner in South Asia. Textiles are a major traded sector with Bangladesh, while India-Sri Lanka trade rises and falls from year to year.
Sources
- High Commission of India, Colombo: India-Sri Lanka Economic and Trade Engagement (bilateral merchandise trade table, US$ million) ↗ “2015 4268 643 4911 -3625 6.6:1 2016 3815 554 4369 -3261 6.9:1 2017 4527 691 5218 -3836 6.6:1 2018 4231 777 5008 -3454 5.4:1 2019 3899 768 4667 -3131 5.1:1”
- PIB, Ministry of Commerce and Industry (Lok Sabha reply): Trade with Bangladesh ↗ “The most traded sectors are Textiles, Machinery and Instruments, Transport Equipment, Pharmaceuticals, Fruits and Vegetable, Jute, Metalifers ores & Metal scrap, Electronic Goods, Natural Rubber etc.”
- High Commission of India, Dhaka: Doing Business with Bangladesh (July 2019) ↗ “Bangladesh is India’s biggest trading partner and destination for Indian exports in South Asia.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2020, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·