Q1. Assertion (A): The Chabahar Port and the International North South Transport Corridor reduce India dependence on the Strait of Hormuz and the Suez Canal for connectivity with Eurasia. Reason (R): The Chabahar Port located on the Gulf of Oman lies outside the Strait of Hormuz and provides India a sea land route to Afghanistan, Central Asia and Russia through Iran without using the Suez Canal.
Explanation
Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A. The Chabahar Port does lie outside the Strait of Hormuz and provides a sea land route to Eurasia. However, the reason given only explains how Chabahar reduces Hormuz dependence but does not by itself explain how INSTC reduces dependence on the Suez Canal. The full explanation requires noting that INSTC uses Iran Caspian Russia rail river corridor cutting Suez Mediterranean route which is independent of Chabahar specific geography. Hence R is true but is only a partial explanation of A.