Transport and Population: Highways, Railways, Ports, Waterways and Census 2011

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Roads

India has one of the largest road networks in the world. Roads are classed as National Highways, built and maintained by the central government through the National Highways Authority of India (set up under a 1988 Act); State Highways; district and rural roads, the latter linked under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana of 2000; border roads built by the Border Roads Organisation (1960); and expressways. Under the numbering adopted in 2010, north-south highways carry even numbers and east-west highways odd numbers; NH 44, from Srinagar to Kanyakumari, is the longest. The Golden Quadrilateral, the first phase of the National Highways Development Project, is a 5,846 km four- and six-lane network linking Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. The North-South corridor (Srinagar to Kanyakumari) and the East-West corridor (Silchar in Assam to Porbandar in Gujarat) cross at Jhansi.

Railways

The first passenger train in India ran on 16 April 1853 from Bori Bunder (Mumbai) to Thane, a distance of 34 km, and the second line opened from Howrah to Hooghly in 1854. Indian Railways uses three gauges: broad gauge (1.676 m), metre gauge (1 m) and narrow gauge (0.762 m and 0.610 m); under Project Unigauge, begun in 1992, most lines are being turned into broad gauge. The railways were regrouped into zones from 1951. The Konkan Railway runs along the west coast through Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka, and the Darjeeling Himalayan, Nilgiri and Kalka-Shimla lines together form the Mountain Railways of India, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Kolkata got India's first metro in 1984.

Ports

On the west coast stand Deendayal (Kandla) in Gujarat, a tidal port built after Partition to replace the loss of Karachi; Mumbai, with a large natural harbour; Jawaharlal Nehru Port (Nhava Sheva) in Navi Mumbai, built to ease the load on Mumbai and a major container port; Mormugao in Goa, long the chief iron-ore exporting port; New Mangalore in Karnataka; and Kochi in Kerala, a natural harbour at the entrance of a lagoon. On the east coast stand V O Chidambaranar (Tuticorin), Chennai, one of the oldest artificial harbours, and Kamarajar (Ennore) in Tamil Nadu; Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, the deepest landlocked and well-protected port; Paradip in Odisha, which exports iron ore; and Kolkata with Haldia, an inland riverine port on the Hugli.

Inland waterways

The Inland Waterways Authority of India (1986) develops navigable rivers and canals. National Waterway 1, on the Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hugli from Haldia to Prayagraj (1,620 km), is the longest; National Waterway 2 is the Brahmaputra from Sadiya to Dhubri (891 km); and National Waterway 3 is the West Coast Canal in Kerala from Kottapuram to Kollam (205 km). The National Waterways Act, 2016 declared 111 national waterways in all.

Census 2011 at a glance

Census 2011 was the 15th census of India and the 7th after independence; the first census was held in 1872 and the first synchronous one in 1881. India's population was about 121.09 crore, some 17.5 percent of the world's people on 2.4 percent of its land. Growth in the decade 2001-2011 was 17.7 percent, a clear fall from the decade before. Uttar Pradesh was the most populous state (about 19.98 crore), followed by Maharashtra and Bihar, and Sikkim the least populous. Meghalaya had the highest decadal growth among states, and Nagaland a negative growth. About 31 percent of Indians lived in towns and cities; Goa was the most urbanised state and Himachal Pradesh the least.

Density, sex ratio and literacy

Density was 382 persons per sq km, up from 325 in 2001. Among states, Bihar was the most densely populated (1,106) and Arunachal Pradesh the least (17); among Union Territories, Delhi was the densest (11,320). The sex ratio, females per 1,000 males, was 943 (940 in the provisional figures); Kerala was the highest (1,084) and Haryana the lowest (879) among states, and among Union Territories Puducherry was the highest and Daman and Diu the lowest. Literacy, counted for people aged 7 and above, was 74.04 percent in the provisional figures that most exam books quote (72.98 percent in the final tables), with male literacy above 80 percent and female literacy about 65 percent. Kerala was the most literate state and Bihar the least; Rajasthan had the lowest female literacy in the provisional figures, and Bihar in the final tables. Census 2011 counted Jammu and Kashmir as a state; it became a Union Territory in 2019.

Key facts

Golden Quadrilateral: 5,846 km, links Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata; North-South (Srinagar-Kanyakumari) and East-West (Silchar-Porbandar) corridors cross at Jhansi; NH 44 is the longest highway.
First train: 16 April 1853, Bori Bunder (Mumbai) to Thane, 34 km; second: Howrah to Hooghly, 1854; first metro: Kolkata, 1984.
Gauges: broad 1.676 m, metre 1 m, narrow 0.762 m and 0.610 m; Project Unigauge from 1992.
West coast ports: Deendayal (Kandla, tidal), Mumbai, JNPT (container), Mormugao (iron ore), New Mangalore, Kochi; east coast: Tuticorin, Chennai, Ennore, Visakhapatnam (deepest landlocked), Paradip, Kolkata-Haldia (riverine).
National Waterways: NW 1 Haldia-Prayagraj on the Ganga (1,620 km, longest); NW 2 Sadiya-Dhubri on the Brahmaputra (891 km); NW 3 Kottapuram-Kollam, Kerala (205 km); IWAI set up 1986.
Census 2011: 15th census, 7th after independence; population about 121.09 crore; decadal growth 17.7 percent; density 382; sex ratio 943; literacy 74.04 percent (provisional).
Most populous state UP, least Sikkim; densest Bihar (1,106), least dense Arunachal Pradesh (17); Delhi densest overall (11,320).
Sex ratio: highest Kerala (1,084), lowest Haryana (879) among states; literacy: highest Kerala, lowest Bihar; lowest female literacy Rajasthan (provisional; Bihar in the final tables).
Fastest decadal growth among states Meghalaya, negative growth Nagaland; most urbanised state Goa, least Himachal Pradesh; urban share about 31 percent.

Quick revision

Golden Quadrilateral 5,846 km; NS-EW corridors cross at Jhansi; NH 44 longest; first train 16 April 1853, Mumbai-Thane, 34 km; broad gauge 1.676 m; Kandla tidal, JNPT container, Mormugao iron ore, Visakhapatnam deepest landlocked, Kolkata riverine; NW 1 Haldia-Prayagraj 1,620 km; Census 2011: 121.09 crore, growth 17.7%, density 382, sex ratio 943, literacy 74.04%; UP most populous, Bihar densest, Kerala highest sex ratio and literacy, Haryana lowest sex ratio.

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