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Q2 (IAS/2023) Geography › Indian Economic Geography › Ports and shipping Official Key

Consider the following pairs : Port Well known as 1. Kamarajar Port : First major port in India registered as a company 2. Mundra Port : Largest privately owned port in India 3. Visakhapatnam : Largest container port in India How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

Result
Your answer:  ·  Correct: B
Explanation

The correct answer is option B because only two pairs are correctly matched.

**Pair 1 is CORRECT**: Kamarajar Port is the 12th major port of India and the first port in India which is a public company. The Kamarajar Port Limited is the only corporatised major port and is registered as[1] a company.

**Pair 2 is CORRECT**: Mundra is identified as a Private Major Port in India, run by Adani Ports and SEZ Limited [2](APSEZ) in Gujarat. The port covers 400 square kilometers and is India's most significant in size and maritime trade.[3] This confirms it is the largest privately owned port in India.

**Pair 3 is INCORRECT**: JNPT maintains its position as India's largest container port, processing more than 7.14 million TEUs in 2023.[4] Visakhapatnam is not the largest container port in India; JNPT (Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust) holds that distinction.

Therefore, pairs 1 and 2 are correctly matched, while pair 3 is incorrectly matched, making the answer "Only two pairs."

Sources
  1. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamarajar_Port
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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. Consider the following pairs : Port Well known as 1. Kamarajar Port : First major port in India registered as a company 2. Mundra Port…
At a glance
Origin: Mostly Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 0/10 · 10/10
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This question marks a shift from 'Location Geography' to 'Economic Geography'. It tests the administrative status (Company vs Trust) and functional ranking (Container vs Bulk) rather than just map pointing. It rewards reading the Economic Survey or Infrastructure chapters over standard physical geography textbooks.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Was Kamarajar Port (Ennore) the first major port in India to be registered as a company?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 5/5
"it is the 12th major port of India, and the first port in India which is a public company. The Kamarajar Port Limited is the only corporatised major port and is registered as a company."
Why this source?
  • Explicitly states Kamarajar/Ennore is the first port in India that is a public company.
  • Says Kamarajar Port Limited is the only corporatised major port and is registered as a company, directly addressing the claim.
Web source
Presence: 4/5
"Kamarajar Port is the only major port that has been corporatised and registered as a company."
Why this source?
  • States the port was established as Ennore Port Limited under the Companies Act and corporatised.
  • Directly declares Kamarajar Port is the only major port that has been corporatised and registered as a company.
Web source
Presence: 4/5
"Kamarajar Port is the only significant port that has been incorporated and registered as a company. It is also India's largest port, and the first to be run by a public company."
Why this source?
  • Explicitly says Kamarajar Port is the only significant port that has been incorporated and registered as a company.
  • Frames the port as the first to be run by a public company, supporting the 'first registered as a company' claim.

Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 12: Transport, Communications and Trade > Ports > p. 18
Strength: 4/5
“The total traffic carried by both the major and minor ports during 2005–06 was estimated at around 570 million tonnes. The 12 major ports carry about 75% of the total traffic with Vishakhapatnam as the top traffic handler in each of the last six years (2000–01 to 2006–07). Major Seaports of India: The major seaports of India are: (i) Chennai, (ii) Cochin, (iii) Ennore, (iv) Jawaharlal Nehru Port (Nhava Sheva), (v) Kandla, (vi) Kolkata/ Haldia, (vii) Mormugao, (viii) Mumbai, (ix) New Mangalore, (x) Paradeep, (xi) New Tuticorin, and (xii) Vishakhapatnam (Fig. 12.6). The salient geographical features of the major seaports of India have been described briefly here: 1.”
Why relevant

Lists Ennore among the 12 major seaports of India, establishing it as a major port institutionally.

How to extend

A student could use this to narrow comparisons to the other named major ports and check their company-registration/corporatisation dates to see which was first.

INDIA PEOPLE AND ECONOMY, TEXTBOOK IN GEOGRAPHY FOR CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 8: International Trade > Can you find out the reasons for the variations in the location of ports along the two coasts? > p. 92
Strength: 4/5
“Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are the main hinterland for this port. Chennai Port is one of the oldest ports on the eastern coast. It is an artificial harbour built in 1859. It is not much suitable for large ships because of the shallow waters near the coast. Tamil Nadu and Puducherry are its hinterland. Ennore, a newly developed port in Tamil Nadu, has been constructed 25 km north of Chennai to relieve the pressure at Chennai port. Tuticorin Port was also developed to relieve the pressure of Chennai port. It deals with a variety of cargo, including coal, salt, food grains, edible oils, sugar, chemicals and petroleum products.”
Why relevant

Describes Ennore as a 'newly developed port' built to relieve Chennai, implying a later development date than older ports like Chennai.

How to extend

One could compare the development/operational dates of Ennore with older ports to judge whether Ennore could plausibly have been first to register as a company.

Geography of India ,Majid Husain, (McGrawHill 9th ed.) > Chapter 12: Transport, Communications and Trade > Ports > p. 19
Strength: 3/5
“• 2. Ennore: Situated about 20 km to the north of Chennai, Ennore is a natural harbour. It was developed to ease the pressure of the Chennai-seaport. Ennore exports hides, machinery, mica, rice, and sugar. The principal imports are cement, cotton, edible-oils, fertilisers, machinery, and petroleum products.• 3. Jawahar Lal Nehru (Nhova Shiva) Port: Situated about 14 km to the south of Mumbai, this seaport was developed to ease the pressure of the Mumbai seaport. It was inaugurated in 1989. It is a world-class port equipped with all the modern facilities. The seaport is connected by a fourlane highway with the hinterland.”
Why relevant

Gives Ennore's location and role as a natural harbour developed to ease pressure on Chennai, reinforcing that Ennore is a later addition to India's port system.

How to extend

Use this to identify Ennore as a relatively newer major port and then check incorporation/registration dates against other major ports.

Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 14: Infrastructure and Investment Models > PPP in Ports > p. 421
Strength: 5/5
“(A port is like a railway station at which there are a number of Terminals like platforms at railway stations. The ships come at a Terminal of a port and load/unload the cargo like the trains come at a platform and passengers get on/off the train) Ministry of Shipping, Government of India issued guidelines for PPP in 1996 to bring in new private players in the Major Ports sector. The objective was to attract private investment as well as to improve efficiency, productivity, quality of service and bring in competitiveness in port services in India. The private players were invited to build and operate the additional new Terminals in the existing Major Ports.”
Why relevant

Notes Ministry of Shipping PPP guidelines (1996) to invite private players and develop terminals in major ports, indicating a policy context for private/ corporatised arrangements.

How to extend

A student could investigate whether Kamarajar/Ennore's company registration happened under/after this 1996 PPP push or earlier, and compare with other ports' corporatisation timing.

Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 14: Service Sector > PORT AND SHIPPING SERVICES > p. 433
Strength: 3/5
“• As of January 2021, the total number of ships owned by Indian companies (1453) increased by around 40 per cent (1040 in 2010). • Initially, India had 13 major ports. However, Port Blair which was notified as a major port in 2010 has been removed of that status recently. Thus, India has 12 major ports as on March 2021 out of which Paradip, Chennai, Vishakhapatnam, Kandla (now Deendayal Port) and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) are the ports with highest cargo capacities. *Note: The time that is taken between the arrival of a vessel/ship and its departure is referred to as the Turnaround Time (TAT).”
Why relevant

States the list/count of major ports (initially 13, later 12) and names high-capacity ports like JNPT, giving targets for comparison.

How to extend

Use the list of major ports (including JNPT and others) to check which of these were registered as companies and their registration dates to decide whether Ennore was the first.

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