UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — IWDC 3.0 Approves Over ₹1,500 Crore Projects to Drive Green Mobility, Cargo Movement & River Tourism on India’s Inland Waterways

Q1. The Inland Waterways Development Council functions as a Centre–State coordination platform under which one of the following Union ministries?

  • A. Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
  • B. Ministry of Jal Shakti
  • C. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
  • D. Ministry of Tourism

Q2. Which one of the following is the designated executing/implementing authority for the development and regulation of National Waterways in India?

  • A. Inland Waterways Authority of India
  • B. Inland Waterways Development Council
  • C. Central Water Commission
  • D. Directorate General of Shipping

Q3. With reference to the projects cleared/approved at the third IWDC meeting (IWDC 3.0, Kochi, 2026), consider the following. Which of the above is/are NOT correctly identified?

  1. Development of a slipway facility at Kochi.
  2. Construction of 110 jetties across Odisha and the Northeast.
  3. A ₹70-crore cruise terminal at Uzan Bazar Ghat, Guwahati.
  4. A ₹144-crore approach road connectivity project to Kandla Port.
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 2 only
  • C. 4 only
  • D. 3 and 4

Q4. The 'National River Traffic and Navigation System (NRT&NS)', approved for Maharashtra at IWDC 3.0, is best described as which one of the following?

  • A. A vessel traffic management and navigation monitoring system for inland waterways
  • B. A capital subsidy scheme for procuring green cargo vessels
  • C. A grid physically connecting all 111 National Waterways through link canals
  • D. An inter-basin river-linking project to transfer surplus water

Q5. How many low-emission alternative propulsion fuels are specified for 'Green Vessels' under the Harit Nauka guidelines for green transition of inland vessels?

  • A. Three
  • B. Four
  • C. Five
  • D. Seven

Q6. The Harit Nauka guidelines for the green transition of inland vessels were first launched at which one of the following?

  • A. The first meeting of the Inland Waterways Development Council (Kolkata, 2024)
  • B. The second meeting of the Inland Waterways Development Council (2024)
  • C. The third IWDC meeting, IWDC 3.0 (Kochi, 2026)
  • D. The Green Shipping Conclave 2025

Q7. The 'River Cruise Tourism Roadmap, 2047' was launched at the inaugural IWDC meeting held onboard which one of the following vessels?

  • A. MV Ganga Queen
  • B. MV Ganga Vilas
  • C. MV Rani Rashmoni
  • D. MV Sabarmati

Q8. Under the River Cruise Tourism Roadmap, 2047, the number of cruise circuits with night stays is targeted to increase from 17 to how many?

  • A. 40
  • B. 60
  • C. 80
  • D. 120

Q9. Consider the following pairings of National Waterways with their associated river/canal systems. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. National Waterway-1 — Ganga–Bhagirathi–Hooghly river system (Prayagraj–Haldia).
  2. National Waterway-2 — Brahmaputra river (Dhubri–Sadiya).
  3. National Waterway-3 — West Coast Canal in Kerala (Kottapuram–Kollam).
  4. National Waterway-4 — Yamuna river in the National Capital Territory of Delhi.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4