RAS question
The Amritsar-Kolkata Industrial Corridor (AKIC) runs along which dedicated freight corridor?
Correct answer: (A) Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor.
The Amritsar-Kolkata Industrial Corridor runs along the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor.
Explanation
AKIC is tied to the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor, not merely to a broad east-west industrial idea. The PIB release says the corridor was proposed as a 150-200 km band on either side of the EDFC, to be developed in phases across Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. Amritsar to Kolkata is the industrial corridor route, while the EDFC is the freight-rail backbone around which the industrial belt is planned. The Amritsar-Kolkata route runs from Amritsar in Punjab to Kolkata in West Bengal and covers about 1,839 km.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) North-South Dedicated Freight Corridor does not match AKIC, because AKIC is anchored to the eastward Amritsar-Kolkata route and the PIB release identifies EDFC as its freight-corridor base.
- (C) Southern Dedicated Freight Corridor is not the corridor associated with AKIC; the PIB release specifically links AKIC to the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor.
- (D) Western Dedicated Freight Corridor is not the AKIC spine; Western DFC is associated with the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, while AKIC is linked to EDFC.
Concept
The industrial-corridor and dedicated-freight-corridor linkage is an important part of Indian economic geography. RAS coverage often repeats these linkages because they connect transport infrastructure, regional planning and state-wise industrial development.