UPSC Prelims 2026Question 66International Relations

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:

Options

(a)1 and 2
(b)2 and 3
(c)1 and 3
(d)2 only

Correct answer: a

Decision rule

A connectivity project counts as India-ASEAN only if a partner is an ASEAN member; Bangladesh and Nepal links do not qualify, Myanmar and Thailand do.

Explanation

Correct Answer

(a) 1 and 2

Explanation of the Correct Answer

The connectivity projects that form part of India’s cooperation with ASEAN member countries are:

Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project
India-Myanmar-Thailand (IMT) Trilateral Highway

Both these projects involve Myanmar, which is a member of ASEAN, and are linked to India’s Act East Policy and connectivity with Southeast Asia.

The Agartala-Akhaura Rail Line connects India and Bangladesh. Bangladesh is not an ASEAN member country. Hence, it is not a part of India-ASEAN connectivity cooperation.

Therefore, only 1 and 2 are correct.

Evaluation of the Statements

Statement	Verdict	Explanation
1. Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project	Correct	It connects India’s eastern seaboard with Myanmar through sea, river and road routes. Myanmar is an ASEAN member.
2. IMT Trilateral Highway	Correct	It connects India, Myanmar and Thailand. Myanmar and Thailand are ASEAN members.
3. Agartala-Akhaura Rail Line	Incorrect	It connects Tripura in India with Akhaura in Bangladesh. Bangladesh is not an ASEAN member.

Why Other Options Are Incorrect

Option	Verdict	Explanation
(a) 1 and 2	Correct	Both Kaladan project and IMT Trilateral Highway are linked to India-ASEAN connectivity through Myanmar and Thailand.
(b) 2 and 3	Incorrect	IMT Trilateral Highway is correct, but Agartala-Akhaura Rail Line is India-Bangladesh connectivity, not ASEAN connectivity.
(c) 1 and 3	Incorrect	Kaladan is correct, but Agartala-Akhaura Rail Line is not related to ASEAN member countries.
(d) 2 only	Incorrect	Kaladan project is also a part of India’s connectivity with ASEAN through Myanmar.

Relevant Supplementary Information

Important Connectivity Projects Related to India’s Act East Policy

Project	Countries Involved	Type of Connectivity	Relevance
Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project	India and Myanmar	Sea, river and road connectivity	Connects Kolkata/Haldia with Sittwe port in Myanmar and onward to Mizoram
IMT Trilateral Highway	India, Myanmar and Thailand	Road connectivity	Connects Moreh in India with Mae Sot in Thailand via Myanmar
Agartala-Akhaura Rail Line	India and Bangladesh	Rail connectivity	Improves connectivity between Tripura and Bangladesh, but not ASEAN-related
Mekong-Ganga Cooperation connectivity initiatives	India and Mekong countries	Cultural, economic and transport cooperation	Links India with mainland Southeast Asia
India-Myanmar-Thailand Motor Vehicles Agreement	India, Myanmar and Thailand	Road transport facilitation	Intended to enable smoother movement along the IMT Highway

ASEAN Member Countries

ASEAN Member	Region
Brunei	Southeast Asia
Cambodia	Southeast Asia
Indonesia	Southeast Asia
Laos	Southeast Asia
Malaysia	Southeast Asia
Myanmar	Southeast Asia
Philippines	Southeast Asia
Singapore	Southeast Asia
Thailand	Southeast Asia
Vietnam	Southeast Asia

ASEAN Member Country	Relevance for India’s Connectivity
Myanmar	India’s land gateway to ASEAN
Thailand	End-point of IMT Trilateral Highway; gateway to mainland Southeast Asia
Cambodia	Part of Mekong-Ganga Cooperation
Laos	Part of Mekong-Ganga Cooperation
Vietnam	Strategic and economic partner in Southeast Asia
Malaysia	Maritime and economic partner
Singapore	Financial, maritime and strategic partner
Indonesia	Maritime neighbour and Indo-Pacific partner
Philippines	Indo-Pacific and defence cooperation partner
Brunei	Energy and ASEAN cooperation partner

Key Takeaways from the Tables

Key Point	Explanation
Kaladan Project = India-Myanmar connectivity	Since Myanmar is an ASEAN member, it is part of India-ASEAN connectivity.
IMT Highway = India-Myanmar-Thailand	It directly links India with two ASEAN member countries.
Agartala-Akhaura = India-Bangladesh	Bangladesh is not an ASEAN member, so it is excluded.
Act East Policy is the larger framework	These projects aim to connect India’s North-East with Southeast Asia.

Key Point	Explanation
Kaladan and IMT are India-ASEAN connectivity projects	Both involve Myanmar, an ASEAN member.
IMT Highway directly links India to Thailand	It is the clearest India-ASEAN land connectivity project.
Agartala-Akhaura is not ASEAN-related	It connects India with Bangladesh, which is not an ASEAN member.
Myanmar is India’s land bridge to ASEAN	Most India-ASEAN physical connectivity passes through Myanmar.
Act East Policy is the larger framework	It aims to integrate India’s North-East with Southeast Asia.
Do not confuse South Asian projects with ASEAN projects	Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan projects are not ASEAN connectivity projects.

Context and Current Relevance

India-ASEAN connectivity is central to India’s Act East Policy.
These projects aim to make the North-East a gateway to Southeast Asia.
Kaladan and IMT Highway are important for trade, logistics, strategic connectivity and regional integration.

Table: Important Connectivity Projects Involving India and Neighbouring / ASEAN Countries

Project	Countries Involved	Connectivity Type	ASEAN Link?	Importance
Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project	India and Myanmar	Sea, river and road	Yes	Connects India’s eastern coast with Myanmar and Mizoram
India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway	India, Myanmar and Thailand	Road	Yes	Connects India’s North-East with mainland Southeast Asia
Agartala-Akhaura Rail Link	India and Bangladesh	Rail	No	Improves India-Bangladesh and North-East connectivity
Mekong-Ganga Cooperation projects	India, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam	Cultural, economic and connectivity cooperation	Yes	Links India with Mekong-region ASEAN countries
India-Myanmar-Thailand Motor Vehicles Agreement	India, Myanmar and Thailand	Road transport facilitation	Yes	Intended to enable smooth movement along the IMT Highway
Sittwe Port Project	India and Myanmar	Port / maritime	Yes	Part of Kaladan project; improves access to North-East India
Rhi-Tiddim Road Project	India and Myanmar	Road	Yes	Improves India-Myanmar border connectivity
Moreh-Tamu-Kalewa Road	India and Myanmar	Road	Yes	Key India-Myanmar route, linked to wider Southeast Asia access
Chabahar Port Project	India and Iran	Port / maritime	No	Connects India with Afghanistan and Central Asia, not ASEAN
BBIN Motor Vehicles Agreement	Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal	Road transport	No	Sub-regional connectivity in South Asia
Maitri Setu	India and Bangladesh	Bridge / road	No	Connects Sabroom in Tripura with Ramgarh in Bangladesh
Petrapole-Benapole Corridor	India and Bangladesh	Land trade route	No	Major India-Bangladesh trade gateway

Table: India-ASEAN Connectivity Projects

Project / Initiative	ASEAN Country / Countries Involved	Route / Location	Strategic Value
Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project	Myanmar	Kolkata/Haldia-Sittwe-Paletwa-Zorinpui-Mizoram	Alternative access to North-East India and Myanmar
IMT Trilateral Highway	Myanmar and Thailand	Moreh-Tamu-Kalewa-Yagyi-Mandalay-Myawaddy-Mae Sot	Direct road link from India to Thailand via Myanmar
Mekong-Ganga Cooperation	Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam	Mekong region	Cultural, educational, economic and connectivity cooperation
India-Myanmar-Thailand Motor Vehicles Agreement	Myanmar and Thailand	Along IMT Highway	Enables movement of passenger and cargo vehicles
Sittwe Port	Myanmar	Rakhine State, Myanmar	Maritime gateway for Kaladan project
Border roads in Myanmar	Myanmar	Tamu-Kalewa, Rhi-Tiddim and related routes	Improves India’s land access to ASEAN

Table: Kaladan Project vs IMT Trilateral Highway

Basis	Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project	IMT Trilateral Highway
Countries involved	India and Myanmar	India, Myanmar and Thailand
Type	Multi-modal: sea, inland waterway and road	Road connectivity
Indian endpoint / link	Mizoram through Zorinpui	Moreh in Manipur
Foreign endpoint / link	Sittwe Port and Paletwa in Myanmar	Mae Sot in Thailand via Myanmar
Main purpose	Alternative route to North-East India and Myanmar	Road link between India and Southeast Asia
ASEAN link	Myanmar is an ASEAN member	Myanmar and Thailand are ASEAN members
Policy framework	Act East Policy	Act East Policy
Strategic importance	Reduces dependence on Siliguri Corridor for some logistics	Creates direct land route to Southeast Asia

Table: Non-ASEAN Connectivity Projects Often Confused with India-ASEAN Projects

Project	Countries Involved	Why It Is Not ASEAN-Related
Agartala-Akhaura Rail Line	India and Bangladesh	Bangladesh is not an ASEAN member
BBIN Motor Vehicles Agreement	Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal	It is a South Asian sub-regional initiative
Chabahar Port	India and Iran	It links India to Iran, Afghanistan and Central Asia
International North-South Transport Corridor	India, Iran, Russia and others	It connects India with Central Asia, Russia and Europe
Maitri Setu	India and Bangladesh	It is India-Bangladesh connectivity
Raxaul-Kathmandu Rail Link	India and Nepal	Nepal is not an ASEAN member
Petrapole-Benapole Corridor	India and Bangladesh	It is a major India-Bangladesh trade route
Kartarpur Corridor	India and Pakistan	It is a religious corridor, not ASEAN connectivity

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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 Project2. IMT Trilateral Highway3. Agartala-Akhaura Rail LineSelect the answer using the code given below: