Infrastructure MCQs for UPSC Prelims — July 2026

Q1. Consider the following pairs relating to India's push for coking coal self-reliance: 1. Mission Coking Coal — Ministry of Coal 2. National Steel Policy, 2017 — document whose demand projection the coking coal mission seeks to meet 3. Notification of coking coal as a critical mineral — measure aimed at cutting steel-sector import dependence 4. Ceiling of 34% ash content for coal supplied to distant thermal power plants — Ministry of Coal notification Which of the above pairs is/are NOT correctly matched?

  1. Mission Coking Coal — Ministry of Coal
  2. National Steel Policy, 2017 — document whose demand projection the coking coal mission seeks to meet
  3. Notification of coking coal as a critical mineral — measure aimed at cutting steel-sector import dependence
  4. Ceiling of 34% ash content for coal supplied to distant thermal power plants — Ministry of Coal notification
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 2 and 3
  • C. 1, 3 and 4
  • D. 4 only

Q2. Consider the following coal companies associated with washery operations in India: 1. Central Coalfields Limited 2. Bharat Coking Coal Limited 3. Singareni Collieries Company Limited 4. South Eastern Coalfields Limited Which of the above is/are correctly identified as subsidiaries of Coal India Limited?

  1. Central Coalfields Limited
  2. Bharat Coking Coal Limited
  3. Singareni Collieries Company Limited
  4. South Eastern Coalfields Limited
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4
  • C. 1, 2 and 4
  • D. 3 only

Q3. Consider the following statements about ownership and operating models of coal washeries in India: 1. The 1.0 MTPA washery at Manuguru in Bhadradri Kothagudem district works on a Build-Own-Operate basis and belongs to a State public sector undertaking rather than a Coal India subsidiary. 2. The Madhuband washery of 5.0 MTPA capacity, whose commercial operations were started by Bharat Coking Coal Limited, is a coking coal washery. 3. The 2.0 MTPA Bhojudih washery commissioned by Bharat Coking Coal Limited is a non-coking coal washery. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The 1.0 MTPA washery at Manuguru in Bhadradri Kothagudem district works on a Build-Own-Operate basis and belongs to a State public sector undertaking rather than a Coal India subsidiary.
  2. The Madhuband washery of 5.0 MTPA capacity, whose commercial operations were started by Bharat Coking Coal Limited, is a coking coal washery.
  3. The 2.0 MTPA Bhojudih washery commissioned by Bharat Coking Coal Limited is a non-coking coal washery.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q4. Among coal companies with newly planned coking coal washeries, which one accounts for the largest combined planned capacity?

  • A. Bharat Coking Coal Limited, with three new washeries of about 7 MTY combined capacity
  • B. Central Coalfields Limited, with five new washeries of about 14.5 MTY combined capacity
  • C. South Eastern Coalfields Limited, with three new washeries of about 11.6 MTY combined capacity
  • D. Singareni Collieries Company Limited, with one new washery of about 1.0 MTPA operational capacity

Q5. The programme under which India's coal beneficiation capacity is being raised from about 30 MT to 58 MT by FY2030 — launched in FY 2021-22 to meet demand projected in the National Steel Policy, 2017 — is:

  • A. SHAKTI, the scheme of the Ministry of Coal for transparent allocation of coal linkages to the power sector
  • B. The National Coal Index-based revenue-sharing regime introduced for commercial coal block auctions
  • C. Mission Coking Coal, an initiative of the Ministry of Coal under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat framework
  • D. The Coal Logistics Plan of the Ministry of Coal for first-mile connectivity and mechanised evacuation

Q6. With reference to the mechanical beneficiation (washing) of coal before dispatch, consider the following outcomes: 1. Reduction in the ash content of coal supplied to power and steel plants. 2. Reduction in the quantity of non-combustible material hauled over long rail distances. 3. Increase in the total tonnage of coal that must be railed to a power plant for the same usable energy output. 4. Availability of usable coking coal for the steel sector out of raw coking coal. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. Reduction in the ash content of coal supplied to power and steel plants.
  2. Reduction in the quantity of non-combustible material hauled over long rail distances.
  3. Increase in the total tonnage of coal that must be railed to a power plant for the same usable energy output.
  4. Availability of usable coking coal for the steel sector out of raw coking coal.
  • A. 1 and 3
  • B. 2 and 4
  • C. 1, 2 and 4
  • D. 3 only

Q7. Consider the following statements regarding coking coal and non-coking coal washing in India: 1. Of the thirteen new washeries in Coal India Limited's announced plan, one is meant for non-coking coal and the remaining ones for coking coal. 2. Coal India Limited's existing non-coking coal washeries number three, with a combined capacity of about 23 million tonnes per year. 3. Raw coking coal production of 140 million tonnes projected for 2030 is expected to yield about 48 million tonnes of usable coking coal after washing. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Of the thirteen new washeries in Coal India Limited's announced plan, one is meant for non-coking coal and the remaining ones for coking coal.
  2. Coal India Limited's existing non-coking coal washeries number three, with a combined capacity of about 23 million tonnes per year.
  3. Raw coking coal production of 140 million tonnes projected for 2030 is expected to yield about 48 million tonnes of usable coking coal after washing.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q8. Bharatmala Pariyojana is best described as which one of the following?

  • A. An umbrella road development programme approved in 2017 covering about 34,800 km, most of it built by the National Highways Authority of India
  • B. A port-led development programme approved in 2015 covering modernisation of major ports and their hinterland rail and road connectivity
  • C. A programme approved in 2016 for replacing level crossings on national highways with railway over-bridges and under-bridges
  • D. A multi-modal connectivity master plan approved in 2021 that digitally integrates infrastructure projects of sixteen union ministries

Q9. Which one of the following pairs of airports was the first to be transferred to private consortia under Operation, Management and Development Agreements in India?

  • A. Cochin and Kannur
  • B. Bengaluru and Hyderabad
  • C. Delhi and Mumbai
  • D. Ahmedabad and Lucknow

Q10. Following the Union Cabinet's 2019 approval, the six Airports Authority of India airports awarded to Adani Enterprises Limited were leased out for a period of how many years?

  • A. 30 years
  • B. 40 years
  • C. 50 years
  • D. 60 years

Q11. The final assembly line for the E175 jet proposed under the Adani Defence and Aerospace–Embraer memorandum of understanding is intended to serve which one of the following?

  • A. India's Regional Transport Aircraft programme
  • B. The Regional Connectivity Scheme operated by the civil aviation ministry
  • C. The Regional Air Cargo Development initiative of the aviation ministry
  • D. The Regional Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul policy for civil aircraft

Q12. As stated by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, how many airports in India are operating under the Public-Private Partnership model?

  • A. 6
  • B. 8
  • C. 14
  • D. 25

Q13. Consider the following statements comparing the older Delhi/Mumbai concessions with the newer Jewar and Navi Mumbai concessions: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The Delhi and Mumbai caps were embedded in Operation, Management and Development Agreements executed when those two airports were handed over to private consortia in 2006, whereas the 26 per cent ceiling appears in the later Noida and Navi Mumbai concessions.
  2. Altering the Delhi and Mumbai ceiling would require a supplemental agreement negotiated with the Airports Authority of India in its capacity as grantor of those concessions.
  3. The 10 per cent ceiling at Delhi and Mumbai limits the airport operator's stake in an airline, while the 26 per cent ceiling at Jewar limits the stake airlines may hold in the airport operator.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q14. With reference to the cross-ownership restrictions between airport operators and airlines currently under examination by the Government of India, consider the following: Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. Under the Delhi and Mumbai concession agreements, the aggregate shareholding of scheduled airlines in the airport operator is capped at 10 per cent.
  2. The Noida International (Jewar) and Navi Mumbai concessions permit the airport operator to hold up to 26 per cent in an airline.
  3. The restriction applies uniformly to every airport in the country irrespective of its ownership pattern, because it is contained in the parent civil aviation statute.
  4. Any relaxation of the cap can be given effect by the Ministry of Civil Aviation alone, since concession terms lie entirely within its administrative discretion.
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 2 and 3
  • C. 1, 2 and 4
  • D. 1, 3 and 4

Q15. 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

Q16. 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

Q17. 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)

Q18. 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

Q19. 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

Q20. 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

Q21. 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

Q22. 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

Q23. 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

Q24. 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

Q25. Consider the following statements comparing India's urban transport policy instruments: 1. The National Urban Transport Policy was adopted in 2006, whereas the Metro Rail Policy was adopted in 2017. 2. The National Urban Transport Policy, 2006 recommended setting up a Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA) in every million-plus city. 3. The National Urban Transport Policy, 2006 accorded priority to the movement of vehicles rather than the movement of people. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The National Urban Transport Policy was adopted in 2006, whereas the Metro Rail Policy was adopted in 2017.
  2. The National Urban Transport Policy, 2006 recommended setting up a Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA) in every million-plus city.
  3. The National Urban Transport Policy, 2006 accorded priority to the movement of vehicles rather than the movement of people.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q26. India's largest operational metro network — that of the National Capital — is constructed and operated by which one of the following organisations?

  • A. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation
  • B. National Capital Region Transport Corporation
  • C. Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES)
  • D. Delhi Transport Corporation

Q27. Consider the following statements about Coimbatore and Madurai in the Metro Rail context: 1. As assessed under the 2011 Census, both Coimbatore and Madurai fell short of the ~20-lakh population benchmark for Metro eligibility. 2. Coimbatore's 2011 Census population was higher than that of Madurai. 3. Madurai's own Comprehensive Mobility Plan had earlier recommended a Metro Rail system in preference to a BRTS. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. As assessed under the 2011 Census, both Coimbatore and Madurai fell short of the ~20-lakh population benchmark for Metro eligibility.
  2. Coimbatore's 2011 Census population was higher than that of Madurai.
  3. Madurai's own Comprehensive Mobility Plan had earlier recommended a Metro Rail system in preference to a BRTS.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q28. As assessed by MoHUA on the basis of the 2011 Census, how many of the two Tamil Nadu cities in the rejected proposals met the ~20-lakh population benchmark for Metro Rail eligibility?

  • A. None of the two
  • B. Only one of the two
  • C. Both of the two
  • D. The benchmark does not apply to either

Q29. Among the routes to Central assistance offered under the Metro Rail Policy, 2017, which one entails the largest financial contribution from the Union government as a share of project cost?

  • A. The 50:50 equity-sharing model between the Centre and the State
  • B. The lump-sum grant equal to 10% of project cost
  • C. The Public-Private Partnership route with Viability Gap Funding
  • D. An Engineering-Procurement-Construction contract funded wholly by the State

Q30. The appraisal of metro rail proposals and the release of Central financial assistance for urban mass-transit projects are handled by which one of the following Union ministries?

  • A. Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
  • B. Ministry of Railways
  • C. Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
  • D. Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways