Means of Transport and Communication
* Transport is a key factor that influences India’s rapid economic development.
* Means of communication allow people in different locations to connect with each other without actually travelling.
* Transport and communication are the true lifelines of trade and economic development.
Roadways
* The road network in India is amongst the largest in the world.
* Roadways have several advantages over railways.
* Roads can be classified based on the material used for construction and capacity.
* The Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana is a programme to connect each village to a town by a motor able road.
* The average road density of Indian states is 125.02km.
Railways and Pipelines
* Considering the volume of passengers and goods transported, the Indian railways is more important to India’s economy than all other means of transport.
* The construction of railways depends largely on local terrain, and economic and administrative factors.
* Pipelines can be used to transport petroleum, natural gas and even coal slurry from mining areas to industries and ports.
Waterways and Airways
* Transport by waterways is the most fuel-efficient, cost-effective and environment-friendly way to carry heavy goods from one place to another.
* Around 95 percent of India’s international trade ids carried out from its 12 major ports.
* Air travel is the quickest and one of the most comfortable means of transport.
* Nationalised air transport in India began in 1953.
* Air travel is still very expensive in India and out of the reach of a large part of the population.