Prelims 2025 · International Relations and Organisations · Question 72
India is one of the founding members of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), a multimodal transportation corridor, which will connect
Answer
India to Central Asia to Europe via Iran
- (a) India to Central Asia to Europe via Iran — Correct. INSTC is a 7,200-km multimodal corridor linking India with Iran, the Caspian region, Central Asia, Russia and onward to Europe.
- (b) India to Central Asia via China — Incorrect. China is not the core transit route of INSTC; the corridor is designed mainly through Iran and the Caspian region.
- (c) India to South-East Asia through Bangladesh and Myanmar — Incorrect. This describes India’s connectivity to Southeast Asia, not the INSTC.
- (d) India to Europe through Azerbaijan — Incorrect as stated. Azerbaijan is one of the possible transit countries on a western branch, but INSTC is not simply defined as India to Europe through Azerbaijan; its core description is via Iran to Central Asia/Russia/Europe.
Therefore, the correct answer is (a).