India is one of the founding members of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), a multimodal transportation corridor, which will connect

(a) India to Central Asia to Europe via Iran ✓ UPSC's answer
(b) India to Central Asia via China
(c) India to South-East Asia through Bangladesh and Myanmar
(d) India to Europe through Azerbaijan

Why the answer is (a)

• The INSTC was founded in 2000 by India, Iran and Russia (agreement in force 2002) and now has 13 members; it is a 7,200-km ship-rail-road corridor.

• Its route runs from Mumbai by sea to Bandar Abbas in Iran, overland through Iran to the Caspian Sea, then to Astrakhan in Russia and on to Europe, with branches through Azerbaijan and via Central Asia (Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan).

• Because the corridor passes through Iran to reach Central Asia and Europe, option (a) describes it correctly; India's development of Chabahar port complements it.

• It does not go through China (b), nor to South-east Asia (c); Azerbaijan (d) is only one branch, not the defining route.

• The INSTC cuts transit time to Europe by about 40% compared with the Suez route.

Why the other options are wrong

(b) India to Central Asia via China: The INSTC does not pass through China; it goes through Iran.
(c) India to South-East Asia through Bangladesh and Myanmar: The INSTC runs north-west to Europe, not east to South-east Asia.
(d) India to Europe through Azerbaijan: Azerbaijan is one branch; the corridor's core passes through Iran to Central Asia and Europe.

Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2025, held on 25 May 2025. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.