UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Centre considering two new dry ports in A.P. and Telangana

Q1. A Container Freight Station (CFS) — a facility closely related to an inland dry port — is a Customs area notified under which one of the following provisions of the Customs Act, 1962?

  • A. Section 7
  • B. Section 45
  • C. Section 8
  • D. Section 58

Q2. With reference to Inland Container Depots (ICDs)/dry ports in India, consider the following statements: 1. An ICD is an inland facility that handles customs clearance of import/export containers under Customs control. 2. A Container Freight Station is located in close proximity to a gateway seaport, whereas an ICD is typically located in the interior and is rail-linked to the seaport. 3. An ICD exclusively handles empty containers and cannot store laden cargo. 4. Cargo once cleared at an ICD must necessarily undergo full customs examination again at the gateway seaport before export. Which of the statements given above is/are correctly identified?

  1. An ICD is an inland facility that handles customs clearance of import/export containers under Customs control.
  2. A Container Freight Station is located in close proximity to a gateway seaport, whereas an ICD is typically located in the interior and is rail-linked to the seaport.
  3. An ICD exclusively handles empty containers and cannot store laden cargo.
  4. Cargo once cleared at an ICD must necessarily undergo full customs examination again at the gateway seaport before export.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1, 3 and 4
  • D. 1 and 4 only

Q3. The Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) that acts as a single-window for approving ICD/CFS/AFS proposals includes representatives of which of the following? Consider the following: 1. Department of Revenue (Customs), Ministry of Finance 2. Railway Board 3. Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways 4. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Which of the above are correctly identified as being represented on the IMC?

  1. Department of Revenue (Customs), Ministry of Finance
  2. Railway Board
  3. Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
  4. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
  • A. 1, 2 and 4
  • B. 2, 3 and 4
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 1, 3 and 4

Q4. In the context of setting up dry ports, the description of the Inter-Ministerial Committee as a 'single-window clearance mechanism' most precisely means that:

  • A. proposals to set up ICDs/CFSs/AFSs are cleared through one consolidated inter-ministerial approval process instead of separate sanctions obtained from each ministry individually
  • B. the Department of Commerce alone grants final approval to dry-port proposals without consulting any other ministry
  • C. all customs clearance of EXIM cargo at the dry port is carried out at a single physical counter
  • D. each proposal must obtain separate clearance windows from Commerce, Revenue and Railways in sequence

Q5. With reference to the Union Minister's July 2026 Lok Sabha reply on dry ports, consider the following statements: 1. As of the reply, the IMC had already approved eight dry-port proposals. 2. Fatehpur (Telangana) is among the dry ports already approved by the IMC. 3. Sri City and Chityala have already been approved by the IMC as dry ports. 4. Nine further proposals, including Sri City and Chityala, are under active consideration. Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

  1. As of the reply, the IMC had already approved eight dry-port proposals.
  2. Fatehpur (Telangana) is among the dry ports already approved by the IMC.
  3. Sri City and Chityala have already been approved by the IMC as dry ports.
  4. Nine further proposals, including Sri City and Chityala, are under active consideration.
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 3 only
  • C. 3 and 4
  • D. 2 only

Q6. According to the Union Minister's July 2026 Lok Sabha reply, how many dry-port proposals — including Sri City and Chityala — are currently under active consideration by the Inter-Ministerial Committee?

  • A. Eight
  • B. Nine
  • C. Seventeen
  • D. Twenty-one

Q7. Which one of the following best describes the defining locational characteristic of a 'dry port' such as those proposed at Sri City and Chityala?

  • A. A facility that must always be situated within the premises of a coastal seaport
  • B. A node that exclusively handles domestic coastal cargo and never EXIM trade
  • C. A warehousing zone that necessarily operates entirely outside any customs control
  • D. An inland logistics node, away from the coast, that provides seaport-equivalent customs clearance for EXIM cargo

Q8. The proposed dry-port site at Chityal (Nalgonda), Telangana, is anchored to an industrial estate developed by which one of the following agencies?

  • A. Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC)
  • B. Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (TSIIC)
  • C. State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (SIPCOT)
  • D. Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO)

Q9. The Sagarmala Programme of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways is best described as a programme for:

  • A. constructing a dedicated network of national highways connecting all major ports of India
  • B. developing India's inland waterways as National Waterways under a statutory authority
  • C. 'port-led development' through port modernisation, port connectivity and port-linked industrialisation
  • D. maritime security surveillance and coastal defence of India's exclusive economic zone

Q10. The erstwhile Ministry of Shipping was renamed the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways in which year?

  • A. 2014
  • B. 2019
  • C. 2020
  • D. 2021

Q11. With which one of the following — the lead national master plan for multimodal connectivity — is the National Logistics Policy (2022) primarily aligned?

  • A. Bharatmala Pariyojana
  • B. PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan
  • C. Sagarmala Programme
  • D. UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik)

Q12. Which one of the following correctly identifies the nodal agency for implementing the National Logistics Policy, 2022?

  • A. The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry
  • B. The Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, which alone handles all logistics infrastructure in India
  • C. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the sole authority for all multimodal logistics
  • D. The Logistics Division of the Ministry of Finance, which exclusively governs all EXIM cargo movement