UPSC Prelims 2026 Q66: India–ASEAN Connectivity Projects — Explained
Which of the following connectivity projects is/are a part of cooperation between India and the ASEAN member countries?
1. Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project
2. IMT Trilateral Highway
3. Agartala-Akhaura Rail Line
- 1 and 2
- 2 and 3
- 1 and 3
- 2 only
Answer: (a) 1 and 2
Statement-wise explanation
- 1: correct — The Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project is an India–Myanmar project. Myanmar has been an ASEAN member since 1997. India and Myanmar signed the Framework Agreement on 2 April 2008. The route runs by sea from Kolkata to Sittwe port in Rakhine State, then about 158 km up the Kaladan river to Paletwa in Chin State, then by road to Zorinpui on the Mizoram border. Sittwe port began operating in May 2023, when the first Indian cargo ship docked there.
- 2: correct — The India–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highway is a road of about 1,360 km from Moreh in Manipur to Mae Sot in Thailand, passing through Myanmar. Both partner countries are ASEAN members: Thailand is a founding member (1967) and Myanmar joined in 1997. India funds two sections inside Myanmar with grants: 69 bridges on the Tamu–Kyigone–Kalewa stretch and the upgrade of the Kalewa–Yagyi road.
- 3: incorrect — The Agartala–Akhaura rail link joins Agartala in Tripura with Akhaura junction in Bangladesh. The two governments signed an MoU on 16 February 2013, and the prime ministers of India and Bangladesh inaugurated the link on 1 November 2023. It is about 12.24 km long: 5.46 km in India and 6.78 km in Bangladesh. Bangladesh belongs to SAARC and BIMSTEC but is not an ASEAN member, so this is India–Bangladesh cooperation, not cooperation with an ASEAN country.
How to eliminate
This question comes down to one map fact: which country each project crosses into. Akhaura is a railway junction in Bangladesh, just across the border from Agartala. Bangladesh is not in ASEAN, so statement 3 is out. That leaves only the options without 3: '1 and 2' or '2 only'. The name 'India–Myanmar–Thailand' Trilateral Highway confirms statement 2, because Thailand is a founding ASEAN member. To choose between the two remaining options, you only need to know that Kaladan runs through Myanmar (Sittwe port, Kaladan river, Chin State). Note what the question asks: 'cooperation with ASEAN member countries', not 'projects of ASEAN as a bloc'. A bilateral India–Myanmar project like Kaladan therefore counts. Remember this: Kaladan and the Trilateral Highway go east into Myanmar. Agartala–Akhaura goes west into Bangladesh.
Know more
India's land and sea links to Southeast Asia
India's Northeast connects to mainland Southeast Asia only through Myanmar. That makes Myanmar the land bridge for the Act East Policy, the 2014 upgrade of the 1991 Look East Policy. Bangladesh lies between the Northeast and the Bay of Bengal. Projects through Bangladesh mainly cut travel time between the Northeast and the rest of India. They do not reach ASEAN.
| Project | Partner(s) | Route | Mode | Key facts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaladan MMTTP | Myanmar (ASEAN) | Kolkata – Sittwe – Paletwa – Zorinpui (Mizoram) | Sea + river + road | Framework Agreement 2008; Sittwe port working since May 2023; Paletwa–Zorinpui road still pending |
| IMT Trilateral Highway | Myanmar, Thailand (ASEAN) | Moreh (Manipur) – Mandalay – Mae Sot | Road, about 1,360 km | India builds the Tamu–Kyigone–Kalewa bridges and the Kalewa–Yagyi road |
| Agartala–Akhaura rail | Bangladesh (not ASEAN) | Agartala (Tripura) – Akhaura | Rail, about 12 km | MoU 2013; inaugurated 1 Nov 2023 |
Why Kaladan matters. It gives Mizoram a route to the sea that avoids the narrow Siliguri Corridor. Fighting in Rakhine and Chin States since the 2021 coup in Myanmar has held up the last road stretch.
ASEAN members. Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Timor-Leste was admitted in October 2025. Of these, only Myanmar shares a land border with India.
Bay of Bengal groupings. BIMSTEC has seven members: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand. Myanmar and Thailand are in both BIMSTEC and ASEAN. Bangladesh is in BIMSTEC but not ASEAN.
NCERT Concepts to Revise
- Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project: Statement 1 depends on which countries the Kaladan route crosses and who the partners are.
- India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway: Statement 2 depends on the countries this highway links and whether they belong to ASEAN.
- Look East Policy: The question tests India's ASEAN-focused connectivity, which began under Look East and continues under Act East.