Lifelines of National Economy

lifelines of national economy
transport and communication

1.transport: Movement of goods and services can be
over three important domains of our earth i.e. land,
water and air. Based on these, transport can also be
classified into the land, water and air transport. Let’s
discuss them in detail:
They help in—
increasing cooperation and assistance between countries;
easy movement of goods and material between countries;
trade and commerce within the country;
reducing distances thus bringing the world closer;
both production and distribution of goods; and
movement of large number of people and over long distances.
Roadways:
India has one of the largest road networks in the world, aggregating to about 54.7 lakh
km. The growing importance of road transport over rail transport is mentioned below:
Importance of road transport vis-a-vis rail transport—
Construction cost of roads is much lower than that of railway lines.

Roads can traverse comparatively more dissected and undulating topography.
Roads can negotiate higher gradients of slopes and as such can traverse
mountains such as the Himalayas.
Road transport is economical in transportation of few persons and relatively
smaller amount of goods over short distances.
It also provides door-to-door service, thus the cost of loading and unloading is
much lower.
Road transport is also used as a feeder to other modes of transport.
In India, roads are classified in the following six classes according
to their capacity.
Golden Quadrilateral Super Highways
Golden Quadrilateral is a network of Highways connecting India’s four top metropolitan
cities, namely Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai. These highway projects are being
implemented by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI).
National Highways
The National highways are a network of trunk roads that are laid and maintained by the
Central Public Works Department (CPWD). The historical Sher-Shah Suri Marg is called
National Highway No.1, between Delhi and Amritsar
State Highways
Roads linking a state capital with different district headquarters are known as State
Highways. These roads are constructed and maintained by the State Public Works
Department (PWD).
District Roads
These roads connect the district headquarters with other places of the district. These
roads are maintained by the Zila Parishad.
Other Roads
Rural roads, which link rural areas and villages with towns, are classified under this
category. These roads received special impetus under the Pradhan Mantri Grameen
Sadak Yojana
Border Roads
Border Roads Organisation constructs and maintains roads in the bordering areas of
the country. This organisation was established in 1960 for the development of the roads
of strategic importance in the northern and north-eastern border areas.
Roads can also be classified on the basis of the type of material used for their
construction such as:
Metalled roads may be made of cement, concrete or even bitumen of coal. These
are all-weather roads.
Unmetalled roads go out of use in the rainy season.
Railways
Railways are the principal mode of transportation for carrying huge loads and
bulky goods for long and short distances in India. Railways have become
more important in India’s economy.
Importance of Railways in India:
They are the principal mode of transportation for freight and passengers in India.
Railways also make it possible to conduct different activities like business, sightseeing,
and pilgrimage along with transportation of goods over longer distances. Indian
Railways plays a role of national integration. Railways in India bind the economic life of
the country as well as accelerate the development of the industry and agriculture.
rail transport suffers from certain problems as well, which are

mentioned below:
1. Construction of bridges is required across rivers’ wide beds for laying down the
railway lines.
2. In the hilly terrains of the peninsular region, railway tracks are laid through low
hills, gaps or tunnels.
3. The Himalayan mountainous regions are also unfavourable for the construction of
railway lines due to the highest elevation points in the surface, sparse population
and lack of economic opportunities.
4. It is difficult to lay railway lines on sandy plains.
Pipelines
Pipeline transport network is a new arrival on the transportation map of India. In the
past, these were used to transport water to cities and industries. Now, these are used
for transporting crude oil, petroleum products and natural gas from oil and natural gas
fields to refineries, fertilizer factories and big thermal power plants. Solids can also be
transported through a pipeline when converted into slurry.
There are 3 important networks of pipeline transportation in the country.
1. From oil field in upper Assam to Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh)

2. From Salaya in Gujarat to Jalandhar in Punjab
3. From Hazira in Gujarat to Jagdishpur in Uttar Pradesh
Waterways:
Waterways are the cheapest means of transport. They are most suitable for carrying
heavy and bulky goods. It is a fuel-efficient and environment-friendly mode of
transport.India has inland navigation waterways of 14,500 km in length. Out of these
only 5685 km are navigable by mechanised vessels
The National Waterways in India are:
N.W. No.1 – The Ganga river between Allahabad and Haldia (1620 km).
N.W. No.2 – The Brahmaputra river between Sadiya and Dhubri (891 km).
N.W. No.3 – The West-Coast Canal in Kerala (Kottapurma-Kollam, Udyogamandal
and Champakkara canals-205 km).
N.W. No.4 – Specified stretches of Godavari and Krishna rivers along with
Kakinada Puducherry stretch of canals (1078 km).
N.W. No.5 – Specified stretches of river Brahmani along with Matai river, delta
channels of Mahanadi and Brahmani rivers and East Coast Canal (588 km).
Inland waterways in India are Mandavi, Zuari and Cumberjua, Sunderbans, Barak and
backwaters of Kerala through which transportation takes place.
Importance of Pipelines in India:
In the past, these were used to transport water to cities and industries. Now, these are
used for transporting crude oil, petroleum products and natural gas from oil and
natural gas fields to refineries, fertilizer factories and big thermal power plants. Solids
can also be transported through a pipeline when converted into slurry. Because of
pipelines refineries like Barauni, Mathura, Panipat and gas based fertilizer plants could
be located in the interiors of India. Initial cost of laying pipelines is high but subsequent
running costs are minimal. It rules out trans-shipment (during transportation) losses or
delays.
Major Sea Ports

1. Kandla in Kachchh was the first port to be developed after independence. It is also
known as the Deendayal Port.
2. Mumbai is the biggest port with a spacious natural and well-sheltered harbour.
3. Marmagao port (Goa) is the premier iron ore exporting port of India.
4. Mangalore port, located in Karnataka caters to the export of iron ore.
5. Kochchi is the extreme south-western port, located at the entrance of a lagoon.
6. Tuticorin port is situated at the extreme south-east.
7. Chennai is one of the oldest artificial ports of India.
8. Visakhapatnam is the deepest landlocked and well-protected port
9. Paradwip port located in Odisha, specialises in the export of iron ore.
10. Kolkata is an inland riverine port.
11. Haldia port was developed as a subsidiary port, in order to relieve growing
pressure on the Kolkata port.
Importance of Airways:The air travel, today, is the fastest, most comfortable and
prestigious mode of transport. It can cover very difficult terrains like high mountains,
dreary deserts, dense forests and also long oceanic stretches with great ease. Air travel
has made access easier in the north-eastern part of the country which has big rivers,
dissected relief, dense forests and frequent floods and international frontiers.
Communication:Two major means of communication in India:
Personal communication including letter, email, telephone, etc.

Mass communication including television, radio, press, films, etc.
Different types of mail handled by Indian postal department:
First class mail: Cards and envelopes are airlifted between stations covering both
land and air.
Second class mail: includes book packets, registered newspapers and periodicals.
They are carried by surface mail, covering land and water transport.
importance of mass communication:Mass communication provides entertainment.
They create awareness among people about various national programmes and policies.
They provide variety of programmes in national, regional and local languages for
various categories of people, spread over different parts of the country. They
strengthen democracy in the country by providing news and information to the masses.
It helps in agriculture sector by helping farmers by providing them information about
new agricultural practices. Doordarshan is the national television channel of India. It is
one of the largest terrestrial networks in the world. The largest numbers of newspapers
published in the country are in Hindi, followed by English and Urdu. India is the largest
producer of feature films in the world.
International Trade:
International trade is defined as the exchange of goods and services between two
or more countries.
It is also considered as economic barometer because advancement of
international trade of a country leads to economic prosperity. Income earned from
international trade constitutes a major part in the net national income. Large
international trade leads to revival of domestic economy.
Balance of trade:
The difference between export and import is known as balance of trade.

If the value of exports is more than the value of imports, it is called favorable
balance of trade. And if the value of imports is greater than the value of exports it
is known as unfavorable balance of trade.
Favorable balance of trade is regarded good for the economic development
where as unfavorable balance of trade is seen harmful for the domestic economy.
Importance of tourism as a trade:
Tourism in India earns huge Foreign exchange,

Over 2.6 million foreign tourists visit India every year.
More than 15 million people are directly engaged in the tourism industry.
Tourism also promotes national integration,
It provides support to local handicrafts and cultural pursuits.
It also helps in the development of international understanding about our culture
and heritage.
Foreign tourists visit India for heritage tourism, eco tourism, adventure tourism,
cultural tourism, medical tourism and business tourism.
Rajasthan, Goa, Jammu and Kashmir and temple towns of south India are
important destinations of foreign tourists in India.
There is vast potential of tourism development in the north-eastern states and the
interior parts of Himalayas, but due to strategic reasons these have not been
encouraged so far
CHANNEL:SAHITYA RAJ SINGH

Lifelines of National Economy

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Lifelines of National Economy

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lifelines of national economy

transport and communication

Construction cost of roads is much lower than that of railway lines.

rail transport suffers from certain problems as well, which are

There are 3 important networks of pipeline transportation in the country.

1. From oil field in upper Assam to Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh)

The National Waterways in India are:

Importance of Pipelines in India:

Major Sea Ports

Communication:Two major means of communication in India:

Personal communication including letter, email, telephone, etc.

The difference between export and import is known as balance of trade.

Tourism in India earns huge Foreign exchange,

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