RAS question
The Indus River enters India through:
Correct answer: (A) Ladakh, near Demchok.
The Indus River enters India through Ladakh near Demchok.
Explanation
The Indus is a trans-Himalayan river whose Indian course begins in Ladakh near Demchok. Its origin is near Lake Mansarovar/Senge Khabab in Tibet, after which it enters India at this Ladakh frontier, flows through Ladakh, and then leaves India towards Pakistan-administered territory. The Ladakh Heritage page describes Demchok as a Ladakh settlement on the frontier and notes that the Indus River flows along the base of the village. This is why the entry point is not Punjab, Uttarakhand, or Himachal Pradesh: the relevant Indian section is the high-altitude Ladakh stretch, with places such as Leh on its banks and tributaries such as Zanskar, Shyok, and Nubra associated with the system.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Punjab near Attari is not the Indus entry point into India; the river enters through Ladakh near Demchok and later exits India towards Pakistan-administered territory.
- (C) Uttarakhand belongs to a different Himalayan river setting, while the Indus route passes through Ladakh, not through Uttarakhand.
- (D) Himachal Pradesh is not on the stated Indian course of the Indus; the question tests the Ladakh entry near Demchok.
Concept
This tests the Himalayan river systems part of Indian geography, especially source-to-border routing. RAS often asks such map-based facts because rivers, frontiers, tributaries, and water treaties overlap in prelims questions.