Which of the following are included in Bharatmala Pariyojana? 1. Road connectivity to border areas 2. Development of coastal roads 3. Connectivity for non-major ports 4. Integration with Sagarmala Select the answer using the code given below.
- (a)1 and 2 only
- (b)3 and 4 only
- (c)1, 2 and 3 only
- (d)1, 2, 3 and 4
Correct — D, 1, 2, 3 and 4. Bharatmala was conceived as an umbrella highways programme built around exactly these strands. Border and international connectivity roads are one of its named components, covering roads along the frontier and links to neighbouring countries. Coastal and port connectivity roads are another, and the official description of that component covers roads serving coastal districts together with connectivity to non-major ports — the major ports being handled under the shipping ministry's own programme. The fourth item is the one candidates hesitate over, but integration with Sagarmala is part of how the coastal component was defined from the outset: the port-led development programme and the road programme were meant to dovetail so that a port upgraded under one had the highway capacity delivered under the other. All four belong.
- (a)1 and 2 only — Stops at the two components that are easiest to recall. Connectivity to non-major ports is written into the coastal component and is one of the programme's stated purposes.
- (b)3 and 4 only — Discards border and coastal roads, which are the components Bharatmala was originally announced for. UPSC's own NDA paper of 2023 keyed both of those as included.
- (c)1, 2 and 3 only — The natural answer for anyone who treats Sagarmala as a wholly separate programme. The two were designed to work together, and Bharatmala's coastal and port component is described as being developed in synergy with Sagarmala.
Bharatmala Pariyojana is the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways umbrella programme approved in 2017, whose Phase-I covers about 34,800 km. Its named components are economic corridors, inter-corridor and feeder routes, national corridor efficiency improvement, border and international connectivity roads, coastal and port connectivity roads, and greenfield expressways, together with the balance of the earlier National Highways Development Project. Sagarmala, run by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, is the port-led development counterpart, and both now sit inside the PM Gati Shakti national master plan.
The two programmes are constantly set against each other in questions, so hold the division clearly: Sagarmala modernises ports and develops the coastline as an economic corridor, Bharatmala builds the roads, and the roads reaching ports are where they meet. Anchor the figures to the exam as well — Phase-I is 34,800 km, and as of the end of October 2024 about 26,400 km had been awarded and 18,700 km built, with Rajasthan leading the states on length constructed. Those numbers move every quarter, so it is the structure of the programme rather than its progress that is worth memorising.
- Bharatmala Pariyojana is the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways umbrella highways programme; Phase-I covers about 34,800 km.
- Its components include economic corridors, inter-corridor and feeder routes, national corridor efficiency improvement, border and international connectivity roads, coastal and port connectivity roads and greenfield expressways.
- The coastal and port component covers roads for coastal districts and connectivity to non-major ports.
- Sagarmala, under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, is the port-led development programme with which the coastal roads component is aligned.
- As of 31 October 2024, about 26,400 km had been awarded and 18,700 km constructed under Phase-I.
Sagarmala and Bharatmala are separate programmes under separate ministries, but the road link to a port is exactly where they were designed to meet.
- Treating Sagarmala as entirely outside Bharatmala because the ministries differ.
- Assuming port connectivity under Bharatmala covers the major ports.
- Carrying progress figures as fixed facts; they are revised every quarter.
A components item where the doubtful entry is a link to a sibling programme rather than a road category.
Which of the following scheme(s) is/are included under Bharatmala Pariyojana? 1. Develop the road connectivity to border areas 2. Development of coastal roads 3. Improvement in the efficiency of National Corridors Select the correct answer using the code given below :
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 3 only
- (c) 2 and 3 only
- (d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer(d) 1, 2 and 3
The officially keyed version of the same question, and it settles the first two items outright — UPSC counted border-area connectivity and coastal roads as included, alongside national corridor efficiency.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Sagarmala Programme is administered by which ministry?
- (a)Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
- (b)Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
- (c)Ministry of Commerce and Industry
- (d)Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
Answer(b) Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways — Bharatmala is the roads ministry's counterpart.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which of the following is a named component of Bharatmala Pariyojana?
- (a)Dedicated freight corridors
- (b)Regional rapid transit systems
- (c)Economic corridors
- (d)Inland waterway terminals
Answer(c) Economic corridors — the largest single component of Phase-I.