UPSC Prelims 2025 Q62: INSTC (North-South Corridor) Explained
India is one of the founding members of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), a multimodal transportation corridor, which will connect
- India to Central Asia to Europe via Iran
- India to Central Asia via China
- India to South-East Asia through Bangladesh and Myanmar
- India to Europe through Azerbaijan
Answer: (a) India to Central Asia to Europe via Iran
Statement-wise explanation
- a: correct — The INSTC was agreed by India, Iran and Russia at St Petersburg in 2000. It is a ship-rail-road route of about 7,200 km. It runs from Indian west-coast ports like Mumbai to Iranian ports (Bandar Abbas, Chabahar), across Iran to the Caspian Sea, and on through Russia to northern Europe. Central Asian states such as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan later joined. So the corridor links India to Central Asia and Europe, with Iran as the transit country.
- b: incorrect — China is not a member of the INSTC, and the corridor does not cross Chinese territory. Routes that go to Central Asia through China belong to China's Belt and Road Initiative. India has stayed out of the BRI, partly because its flagship project, CPEC, passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
- c: incorrect — The INSTC runs north from the Arabian Sea through Iran towards Russia. It does not go east. India's links to South-East Asia through Myanmar are separate projects: the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway and the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project. Neither is part of the INSTC.
- d: incorrect — Azerbaijan is a later member of the INSTC, and the corridor's western branch runs through Iran and then Azerbaijan to Russia. But Azerbaijan is not the corridor's defining transit country. India cannot reach Azerbaijan overland without first crossing Iran. All INSTC branches pass through Iran, which is why the corridor is described as running via Iran.
How to eliminate
Start with the name. 'North-South' rules out a corridor running east to South-East Asia, which removes the Bangladesh–Myanmar statement. Basic current affairs removes the China statement: India opposes the Belt and Road Initiative and would not be a founding member of a corridor running through China. That leaves the Iran and Azerbaijan statements. Look at a map: from India's west coast, the only practical path to the Caspian region and Russia that avoids Pakistan and Afghanistan is by sea to Iran's ports, then across Iran. Azerbaijan is one possible stop after Iran, not the main transit country. Also link the INSTC with Chabahar, which UPSC aspirants usually study together: India's Chabahar project in Iran is promoted as a gateway to the INSTC. The fact to remember: the INSTC was founded in 2000 by India, Iran and Russia, and Iran is the pivot of every route.
Know more
International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC)
India, Iran and Russia signed the INSTC agreement in St Petersburg in 2000. The corridor combines sea, rail and road links over about 7,200 km. It joins the Indian Ocean and the Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea through Iran, then runs through Russia to northern Europe. The aim is to cut the time and cost of moving freight from India to Russia and Europe compared with the Suez Canal route. Ten more countries later joined: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Ukraine, Belarus, Oman and Syria. Bulgaria is an observer.
| Branch | Path after Iranian port (Bandar Abbas / Chabahar) |
|---|---|
| Western | Rail/road across Iran → Azerbaijan → Russia (Astrakhan/Moscow) |
| Central (trans-Caspian) | Iran → Caspian ports (Bandar Anzali/Amirabad) → ship to Astrakhan |
| Eastern | Iran → Turkmenistan/Kazakhstan by rail → Russia |
Related corridors and agreements to keep apart
| Initiative | Key fact |
|---|---|
| Chabahar (Shahid Beheshti terminal) | India–Iran MoU 2015; 10-year operating contract signed May 2024 |
| Ashgabat Agreement (2011) | Central Asia–Persian Gulf transit deal; India joined in 2018 |
| IMEC (2023) | India–Middle East–Europe corridor through the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel, announced at the New Delhi G20 summit |
| Chennai–Vladivostok corridor | Sea route linking India's east coast to Russia's Far East |
| BRI / CPEC | China-led; India does not take part |
The INSTC and Chabahar together give India a route to Afghanistan, Central Asia and Russia that bypasses Pakistan. US sanctions on Iran have repeatedly slowed both projects.
In the news
In May 2024, India and Iran signed a 10-year contract for India to operate Chabahar's Shahid Beheshti terminal, and the US warned of sanctions risk. That put Iran-linked connectivity in the news before the 2025 exam. In July 2024, the India–Russia summit also highlighted the INSTC, as Russia was sending more freight south after the Ukraine war.
NCERT Concepts to Revise
- International North-South Transport Corridor: The question asks which countries and transit route this corridor actually links.
- Chabahar port: Chabahar is India's port project on the Gulf of Oman, promoted as a gateway into the corridor.
- Ashgabat Agreement: A separate Central Asia–Persian Gulf transit deal often confused with the INSTC; it helps separate overlapping routes.
- India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor: A newer India-to-Europe corridor with a different transit route; useful to compare with the routes in the options.
- Belt and Road Initiative: Needed to judge the option about reaching Central Asia via China and India's position on China's connectivity plans.
- Chennai-Vladivostok Eastern Maritime Corridor: India's other Russia-bound corridor runs by sea from the east coast; it is easy to mix up with the INSTC.