Assertion (A) : River Kalinadi is an east-flowing river in the southern part of India. Reason (R) : The Deccan Plateau is higher along its western edge and gently slopes towards the Bay of Bengal in the east.

The Assertion is incorrect. The Kali (Kalinadi) in southern India is a west‑coast/Western Ghats river that drains into the Arabian Sea rather than east into the Bay of Bengal (so it is not east‑flowing). The Reason is correct: the Deccan Plateau is bounded by the higher Western Ghats on the west and generally slopes eastward toward the Bay of Bengal, which causes most major peninsular rivers (Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri, Mahanadi) to flow eastward and form deltas [2]. The Western Ghats therefore act as the main water divide; to their west are numerous short, turbulent west‑flowing streams while the larger consequent rivers run eastward across the plateau [4].

Sources

1. [1] CONTEMPORARY INDIA-I ,Geography, Class IX . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 3: Drainage > The Peninsular Rivers > p. 21
2. [2] INDIA PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT, Geography Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 3: Drainage System > THE PENINSULAR DRAINAGE SYSTEM > p. 23
3. [3] Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 3: The Drainage System of India > 1.1 Consequent Rivers > p. 1
4. [4] https://www.fao.org/4/v5930e/v5930e06.htm