The Union Public Service Commission conducts the Civil Services IAS Exam annually. The exam is conducted in three stages and they are – the Preliminary exam, the Mains exam, and the personal interview/personality test. The Prelims exam consists of two papers – General Studies Paper I and General Studies Paper-II (CSAT Paper). Candidates should have relevant knowledge in History, Current affairs, Geography, economics, and general science to tackle the General Studies Paper I. The geography syllabus for the Prelims exam consists of Indian geography and World geography.
National Waterways
Transportation plays an important role in the development of a country and it is of great significance for a developing country like India. The country is bestowed with a plethora of diverse topography which enables different kinds of transportation. India has about 14500 km of navigable waterways. This includes rivers, backwaters, canals, creeks, and so on.
- National Waterways Act came into effect in 2016. It proposed 106 additional National Waterways and merges 5 existing Acts which were declared the 5 National Waterways.
- In 1986, the Government of India created the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) for regulation and development of Inland Waterways for navigation and shipping.
- Out of the 111, National Waterways declared under the National Waterways Act, 2016, 13 are operational for shipping and navigation and cargo/passenger vessels are moving on them.
National Waterways in India (UPSC Notes):- Download PDF Here
About the IWAI
Inland Waterways Authority of India
This body was created by the government of India in 1986 for regulating and developing inland waterways for shipping and navigation. The body chiefly undertakes development and maintenance projects of IWT infrastructure on national waterways. It undertakes these projects through grants from the Shipping Ministry. Its headquarters is in Noida. It also has regional offices in various other cities and towns across the country.
Operational National Waterways in India for UPSC
| Sl. No. | NW Number | River System | Route | Length | Locations | Established |
| 1 | NW – 1 | Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly | Prayagraj – Haldia | 1620 | Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal | 1986 |
| 2 | NW – 2 | Brahmaputra | Sadiya-Dhubri | 891 | Assam | 1982 |
| 3 | NW – 3 | West Coast Canal, Champakara Canal, and Udyogamandal Canal | Kottapuram – Kollam | 205 | Kerala | 1993 |
| 4 | NW – 4 | Krishna and Godavari | Kakinada–Puducherry stretch of canals, Kaluvelly Tank, Bhadrachalam – Rajahmundry, Waziraba–Vijayawada | 1095 | Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry | 2008 |
| 5 | NW – 10 | Amba River | 45 | Maharashtra | ||
| 6 | NW – 83 | Rajpuri Creek | 31 | Maharashtra | ||
| 7 | NW – 85 | Revadanda Creek – Kundalika River System | 31 | Maharashtra | ||
| 8 | NW – 91 | Shastri river–Jaigad creek system | 52 | Maharashtra | ||
| 9 | NW – 68 | Mandovi – Usgaon Bridge to the Arabian Sea | 41 | Goa | ||
| 10 | NW – 111 | Zuari– Sanvordem Bridge to Marmugao Port | 50 | Goa | ||
| 11 | NW – 73 | Narmada River | 226 | Gujarat and Maharashtra | ||
| 12 | NW – 100 | Tapi River | 436 | Gujarat and Maharashtra | ||
| 13 | NW – 97 (Sundarbans Waterways) | Namkhana to AtharaBankiKhal | Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route | 172 | West Bengal |
National Waterways in India (UPSC Notes):- Download PDF Here
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