RAS question
The Vizag-Chennai Industrial Corridor (VCIC) is part of which larger corridor initiative?
Correct answer: (B) East Coast Economic Corridor (ECEC).
The Vizag-Chennai Industrial Corridor is part of the East Coast Economic Corridor.
Explanation
VCIC belongs to the East Coast Economic Corridor, not to a western or road-only corridor framework. The ADB publication on the Vizag-Chennai Industrial Corridor states that VCIC spans more than 800 km of India's eastern coastline and is part of the country's East Coast Economic Corridor. VCIC is the first phase of ECEC, running along the Andhra Pradesh coast from Visakhapatnam to Chennai, with ADB support. Its key nodes are Visakhapatnam, Kakinada, Amaravati, and Yerpedu-Srikalahasti, which is why the question is testing the larger corridor initiative rather than a port, highway, or unrelated industrial-corridor label.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor is a western industrial corridor, whereas VCIC is placed on India's eastern coastline under ECEC.
- (C) Sagarmala is a port-led development initiative, while VCIC forms part of the East Coast Economic Corridor.
- (D) The Golden Quadrilateral is a highway project, not the industrial or economic corridor framework that contains VCIC.
Concept
This tests industrial corridors and regional development in Indian economic geography. It recurs in RAS because corridor projects link location, infrastructure, manufacturing nodes, and coastal connectivity.