Which of the following connectivity projects is/are a part of cooperation between India and the ASEAN member countries?
- 1.Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project
- 2.IMT Trilateral Highway
- 3.Agartala-Akhaura Rail Line
Select the answer using the code given below:
Answer & explanation
Answer: (a) 1 and 2
The Kaladan project and the India-Myanmar-Thailand (IMT) Trilateral Highway both link India's Northeast with ASEAN members Myanmar and Thailand. The Agartala-Akhaura line joins Tripura to Bangladesh, which is not an ASEAN member.
- ✓ 1. Kaladan is an India-Myanmar multi-modal route; the Ministry of External Affairs lists it among major projects connecting India's Northeast with the ASEAN region. Myanmar is an ASEAN member.
- ✓ 2. The IMT Trilateral Highway links India, Myanmar and Thailand. Myanmar and Thailand are ASEAN members, and the same official list names it among the India-ASEAN connectivity projects.
- ✗ 3. The Akhaura-Agartala line links Bangladesh's Dhaka-Chittagong corridor to Tripura. Bangladesh is not on ASEAN's list of member states, so this is an India-Bangladesh project.
Remember · India-ASEAN land links from the Northeast: Kaladan (India-Myanmar) and the IMT Trilateral Highway (India-Myanmar-Thailand). Agartala-Akhaura is India-Bangladesh, outside ASEAN.
Sources
- Ministry of External Affairs (PIB), Act East Policy, 23 December 2015 ↗ “steady efforts to develop and strengthen connectivity of Northeast with the ASEAN region through trade, culture, people-to-people contacts and physical infrastructure (road, airport, telecommunication, power, etc.). Some of the major projects include Kaladan Multi-modal Transit Transport Project, the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway Project, Rhi-Tiddim Road Project, Border Haats, etc.”
- Asian Development Bank, SASEC Railway Connectivity: Akhaura-Laksam Double Track Project ↗ · reference work “India is also supporting the construction of the AkhauraAgartala railway line on a grant basis, which will link the DhakaChittagong railway corridor to the Indian state of Tripura.”
- ASEAN Secretariat, ASEAN Connectivity Project Information Sheets ↗ · reference work “The Member States of the Association are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam.”
Question and answer: UPSC's provisional GS Paper I (2026, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·