2018 · GS Paper 1 · Q16 · 15 marks
What is the significance of Industrial Corridors in India? Identifying Industrial corridors, explain their main characteristics.
In short
Industrial corridors matter because they give manufacturing ready land, freight links and planned cities, raising jobs, exports and balanced urbanisation. India's network, led by the Japan-backed Delhi-Mumbai corridor, now spans eleven corridors with 12 industrial smart cities approved in 2024.
Model answer
Ghissu Editorial · Verified 4 Oct 2026 · 277 words
Jobs and manufacturing
Ready land draws large factories that absorb workers leaving farming.
Lower logistics costs
Links to freight corridors and ports cut costs that NCAER put at 7.8 to 8.9% of GDP in 2021-22.
Exports and planned cities
Plug-and-play parks attract firms leaving China, and nodes like Dholera offer planned urbanisation.
Expanding network
Eleven corridors now run under NICDC, and in 2024 the Cabinet approved 12 industrial smart cities worth about ₹28,602 crore.
Freight spine and nodes
Flagship corridors such as DMIC and Amritsar-Kolkata follow the Western and Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridors as chains of investment regions.
Plug-and-play land
Serviced plots with power, water and roads are allotted ready to build, as at Dholera and Tumakuru.
Integrated townships
Smart, walk-to-work housing sits beside factories.
Shared governance
Centre-State SPVs develop nodes with partners such as JICA and ADB.
Land and logistics
Faster land pooling and mapping nodes on PM GatiShakti would close gaps.
Skills
Linking ITIs to anchor industries would supply workers.
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Question from the official UPSC Civil Services (Main) Examination 2018 paper. Answer written by Ghissu's engine and checked against our editorial standards. Found an error? Tell us and we correct it within 48 hours.