Key Concepts: Lifelines of National Economy | Social Studies (SST) Class 10 PDF Download

Transport

Transport is the movement of people, goods and services from one place to another. It is one of the lifelines of the national economy because it facilitates trade, links regions, supports industry and agriculture, and enables access to services. Transport is divided into three broad modes: land, water and air. In India the principal transport systems are Roadways, Railways, Pipelines, Waterways and Airways.

Roadways

India has the second largest road network in the world, with around 62.16 lakh km(2020-21). Roadways have developed before railways and continue to be preferred due to their easier construction and maintenance. The increasing significance of road transport compared to rail transport is based on several reasons:

• Construction costs for roads are significantly lower than for railway lines.
• Roads can navigate more complex and uneven terrain.
• Roads can be laid over more complex and uneven terrain and can handle steeper slopes, enabling access to hilly and mountainous regions such as the Himalayas.
• Road transport is cost-effective for transporting a few people and smaller quantities of goods over short distances.
• It offers door-to-door service, which reduces loading and unloading costs.
• Road transport is suitable for carrying small consignments, passengers, and for serving local and feeder functions to other modes of transport.

Significance of Roads

• Roads are cheap and easy, both in construction and maintenance.
• They connect fields with markets, factories with farms and help in providing door to door service.
• Roads are useful for short distances both for passengers and goods.

Types of Roads

(a) National Highways: 

• National highways connect one state to another and are crucial for the nation.
• In India, roads are divided into six classes based on their capacity.
• They make up only 2% of the total road network but handle 40% of the traffic.
• These roads are built and looked after by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH).

(b) State Highways: 

• State highways are built and maintained by the State Public Works Department (PWD).
• They connect state capitals with district headquarters and other local areas.

(c) Village Roads:

• District roads connect district headquarters to other locations within the district.

(d) Border Roads:

• Border roads are maintained by the Border Roads Organisation, established in 1960 for roads of strategic importance.

(e) District Roads : 

• These connect district headquarters with other towns, tehsils and rural areas inside the district.

Expressways

• Expressways are highways with 4 to 6 lanes for fast long-distance traffic across the country.
• About 14,846 km of national highways were built between 1999–2007.
• Major projects include:
  • Golden Quadrilateral Super Highways: This links Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata over 5,846 km.
  • North-South and East-West Corridors: These connect Srinagar to Kanniyakumari and Silchar to Porbandar, spanning 7,300 km.
• A road of 1,157 km connects 10 major ports, including Kandla and Chennai.
• All these national highways follow the Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) model.

Railways 

• The railways in India have been operational since 1853. The overall length of the railway network is approximately 67,956 km.
• India boasts the second-largest railway network in Asia and ranks sixth globally after the USA, Russia, Canada, Germany, and China.
• The Indian Railways is the largest public sector company in the nation.
• The first railway journey took place from Mumbai to Thane in 1853, covering a distance of 34 km.
• Railways enable people to engage in various activities such as business, tourism, and pilgrimages, as well as facilitate the transport of goods over long distances.
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• There are three types of railway gauges:
  • Broad gauge (1.676 m)
  • Metre gauge (1.000 m)
  • Narrow gauge (0.762 m and 0.610 m)

Improvement in Railways 

• Metre gauge lines are being converted to broad gauge to standardise the network and increase capacity.
• Steam engines have been replaced by diesel and electric engines for greater efficiency.
• Other improvements are being made in the area of track replacement, the introduction of fast-moving trains and providing public amenities at the railway stations.

Pipelines

• Pipelines were earlier used for the transportation of water and now they are being used for the transportation of crude oil, petroleum products and natural gas. 
• Pipelines reduce transportation costs for large, continuous flows and minimise losses from spillage and theft.
• Important Network of Pipelines:
  (i) From oilfields in upper Assam to Kanpur.
  (ii) From Salaya in Gujarat to Jalandhar in Punjab.
  (iii) Gas pipelines from Hazira in Gujarat to Jagdishpur in Uttar Pradesh, via Bijaipur in Madhya Pradesh.

Waterways

• Water transport uses rivers, canals and the sea. Inland waterways are cost-effective for bulk and heavy goods where navigable routes are available.
• Inland Waterways have a length of 14,500 km. 
• The Government has declared the following waterways as National Waterways:
  (i) National Waterway No. 1: The Ganga river between Allahabad and Haldia (1,620 km).
  (ii) National Waterway No. 2: The Brahmaputra between Sadiya and Dhubri (891 km).
  (iii) Kollam and Kottapuram (168 km).
  (iv) National Waterway. No. 3: The Champakara Canal (14 km).
  (v) The Udyogamandal Canal (22 km).

Airways

• Airways are the fastest mode of transport but they are the costliest ones. 
• In 1953, air transport was nationalised. In India, domestic services are provided by Indian Airlines, Alliance Air, private scheduled airlines. 
• Air India provides international air services. Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd. provides helicopter services to the Oil and Natural Gas Commission in its offshore operations. 
• Indian Airlines operations also extend to neighbouring countries of South East Asia and the Middle East.

• Types of Airways:
  (i) International
  (ii) Domestic

(a) International Airports: Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, Bengaluru, Amritsar, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Panaji, Guwahati and Cochin.

(b) Domestic Airports: There are 63 domestic airports in the country. Airports are managed by the Airport Authority of India.

Major Seaports

• Seaports: India has 12 major, 181 medium and minor seaports.
• Major Ports on the West Coast: Kandla, Mumbai, Jawaharlal Nehru (Nhava Sheva), Marmagao, New Mangalore and Cochin.
• Major Ports on the East Coast: Kolkata, Haldia, Paradip, Visakhapatnam, Chennai, Ennore and Tuticorin.
• Biggest Port: Mumbai.

Communication 

Communication links people and institutions and is essential for the functioning of the economy and society. 
The means of communication are divided into two categories — personal and mass communication. 

• Personal Written Communication: Indian postal network — 1.5 lakh post offices in India. It includes postcards, letters, telegrams, telephones and the internet.
• First-Class Mail: Mail that is airlifted between stations to speed up delivery.
• Second-Class Mail: Mail that is carried by surface covering land and water transport generally slower and cheaper.
• Mass Communication: Mass communication includes handbooks, journals, magazines, newspapers, radio, television and films. They are of two types 
  (i) print media
  (ii) electronic media.

International Trade

• International trade is the exchange of goods and services between countries.
• Trade: Exchange of goods between two parties such as people, states and countries.
  
• Economic Barometer: International trade of a country. It reflects the economic activity and competitiveness of a country.
• Balance of Trade: The difference between exports and imports.
• Favourable balance of trade: If the value of exports is more than the value of imports.
• Unfavourable balance of trade: If the value of imports is more than the value of exports.

Tourism as a Trade

Tourism is both a social and economic activity. It has expanded substantially in India over the last few decades and generates employment, foreign exchange and income for local communities. More than 15 million people are directly involved in the tourism sector. Tourism also provides support to local handicrafts and cultural activities. It contributes to the development of international understanding of our culture and heritage. 
Foreign visitors come to India for:

• Heritage tourism
• Eco tourism
• Adventure tourism
• Cultural tourism
• Medical tourism
• Business tourism

There is a large potential for the growth of tourism across all regions of the country. Efforts are being made to promote various types of tourism for this emerging industry.