UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Union Minister Nitin Gadkari Launches India’s First Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) Barrier-less Tolling System in Gujarat

Q1. With reference to India's first Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) barrier-less tolling system launched at the Chorayasi Toll Plaza, which one of the following is its executing/implementing agency under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways?

  • A. Indian Highways Management Company Limited (IHMCL)
  • B. National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)
  • C. National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL)
  • D. Indian Road Congress (IRC)

Q2. With reference to the Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) tolling system at Chorayasi as compared to the pre-existing FASTag-based tolling at conventional National Highway toll plazas, consider the following statements: 1. Unlike conventional FASTag plazas which rely solely on RFID reading, the MLFF system uses Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras in addition to FASTag/RFID readers to identify vehicles. 2. Unlike conventional FASTag plazas where vehicles must slow down at boom barriers, the MLFF system permits toll deduction while vehicles pass at highway speed without stopping. 3. Unlike the FASTag system, the MLFF system at Chorayasi has replaced FASTag entirely with Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)-based satellite tolling. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Unlike conventional FASTag plazas which rely solely on RFID reading, the MLFF system uses Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras in addition to FASTag/RFID readers to identify vehicles.
  2. Unlike conventional FASTag plazas where vehicles must slow down at boom barriers, the MLFF system permits toll deduction while vehicles pass at highway speed without stopping.
  3. Unlike the FASTag system, the MLFF system at Chorayasi has replaced FASTag entirely with Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)-based satellite tolling.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q3. Consider the following statements regarding India's first Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) barrier-less tolling system commissioned in 2026. Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. The system was launched on 1 May 2026 by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.
  2. It is located at Chorayasi Toll Plaza on the Surat–Bharuch section of NH-48 in Gujarat.
  3. It is the world's first Multi-Lane Free Flow barrier-less tolling system to be operationalised.
  4. The system has been implemented by the National Highways Authority of India under the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 2 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 4 only

Q4. Approximately how many vehicles passed through India's first Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) barrier-less toll plaza at Chorayasi on its first day of operations (1 May 2026)?

  • A. About 12,000 vehicles
  • B. About 25,000 vehicles
  • C. About 41,500 vehicles
  • D. About 75,000 vehicles

Q5. Which one of the following entities has been mandated to implement the National Electronic Toll Collection (NETC) programme in India, under which the FASTag brand was launched in 2016?

  • A. National Highways Authority of India (NHAI)
  • B. Indian Highways Management Company Limited (IHMCL)
  • C. National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)
  • D. National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL)

Q6. In which year was FASTag, the brand under which India's National Electronic Toll Collection (NETC) programme was first rolled out on National Highways, launched?

  • A. 2014
  • B. 2016
  • C. 2019
  • D. 2021

Q7. On how many National Highway stretches has NHAI conducted pilot studies for the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)-based user fee collection system?

  • A. One
  • B. Two
  • C. Four
  • D. Six

Q8. Which one of the following best describes the 'Golden Quadrilateral' (GQ) project of India?

  • A. A national highway network of about 5,846 km connecting Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata, implemented as Phase-I of the National Highways Development Project (NHDP)
  • B. A network of access-controlled expressways connecting Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Kolkata under the Bharatmala Pariyojana
  • C. A High-Speed Rail (Diamond Quadrilateral) corridor linking the four metropolitan cities under the National Rail Plan
  • D. A dedicated multi-modal freight corridor linking major ports along the eastern and western coasts under the Sagarmala Programme

Q9. The Indian Highways Management Company Limited (IHMCL), which operates the FASTag-based electronic toll collection ecosystem on national highways, was incorporated under which one of the following?

  • A. The National Highways Authority of India Act, 1988
  • B. The Companies Act, 1956
  • C. The National Highways Act, 1956
  • D. The Control of National Highways (Land and Traffic) Act, 2002

Q10. Which one of the following toll plazas was the first in India to operationalise the Multi-Lane Free Flow (MLFF) barrier-less tolling system using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras integrated with FASTag?

  • A. Khalapur Toll Plaza (Mumbai-Pune Expressway)
  • B. Chorayasi Toll Plaza (NH-48, Surat-Bharuch)
  • C. Kherki Daula Toll Plaza (NH-48, Gurugram)
  • D. Sarai Kale Khan Toll Plaza (Delhi-Meerut Expressway)

Q11. On a High Security Registration Plate (HSRP) prescribed under Rule 50 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, how many digits does the laser-etched Permanent Identification Number (PIN) — the unique non-erasable code that links the plate to vehicle records — contain?

  • A. 7 digits
  • B. 10 digits
  • C. 12 digits
  • D. 15 digits

Q12. With reference to the components of Phase-I of the Bharatmala Pariyojana as approved by the Government of India, consider the following: 1. Economic Corridors 2. Coastal and Port Connectivity Roads 3. Char Dham Mahamarg Vikas Pariyojana 4. Setu Bharatam Programme Which of the above is/are correctly identified as components of Bharatmala Pariyojana Phase-I?

  1. Economic Corridors
  2. Coastal and Port Connectivity Roads
  3. Char Dham Mahamarg Vikas Pariyojana
  4. Setu Bharatam Programme
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 3 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q13. Phase-I of the Bharatmala Pariyojana, covering about 34,800 km of National Highway corridors at an outlay of approximately Rs. 5.35 lakh crore, was approved in October 2017 by which one of the following bodies?

  • A. NITI Aayog Governing Council
  • B. Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA)
  • C. National Development Council
  • D. Standing Finance Committee of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways