UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Major Ports Record 915 Million Tonnes Cargo in FY 2025–26, Surpass Target with 7.06% Growth

Q1. Which one of the following Major Ports recorded the highest year-on-year cargo growth rate in FY 2025-26, achieving a 5-year high in cargo handling?

  • A. Kolkata Dock System
  • B. Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPA)
  • C. Mormugao Port
  • D. Paradip Port

Q2. In the Indian context, a 'Major Port' is best defined as which one of the following?

  • A. A port notified/declared as a major port by the Central Government and administered under central legislation
  • B. Any port that handles more than 100 million tonnes of cargo in a year
  • C. The single largest port located in each coastal State of India
  • D. A port developed and operated under the public-private partnership (PPP) model

Q3. The Major Port Authorities Act, 2021 replaced which one of the following as the principal legislation governing the Major Ports of India?

  • A. The Major Port Trusts Act, 1963
  • B. The Indian Ports Act, 1908
  • C. The Central Port Authorities Act, 2016
  • D. The Dock Workers (Regulation of Employment) Act, 1948

Q4. Under the Major Port Authorities Act, 2021, the 'Scale of Rates' (tariff) for services and assets at a Major Port is now fixed by which one of the following?

  • A. The Board of the concerned Major Port Authority
  • B. The Tariff Authority for Major Ports (TAMP)
  • C. The Adjudicatory Board constituted under the Act
  • D. The Central Government by notification for every port

Q5. The core concept underlying the Sagarmala Programme is best described as which one of the following?

  • A. Harnessing India's long coastline and navigable waterways to drive economic growth through port-led development
  • B. Modernising the dedicated rail freight corridors to decongest the trunk railway network
  • C. Interlinking of peninsular and Himalayan rivers to transfer surplus water
  • D. Strengthening coastal defence and naval ship-building capacity along the seaboard

Q6. Under the Indian Ports Act, 2025, the apex statutory consultative body created to coordinate between the Centre and coastal States for integrated port development is:

  • A. The Maritime State Development Council (MSDC)
  • B. The State Maritime Board of each coastal State
  • C. The Dispute Resolution Committee
  • D. The Tariff Authority for Major Ports (TAMP)

Q7. The PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan aims to bring down India's logistics cost to which one of the following levels, described as among the lowest in the world?

  • A. About 7–8% of GDP
  • B. About 13–14% of GDP
  • C. About 2–3% of GDP
  • D. About 18–20% of GDP