India's first river information system (RIS) is to be deployed in

The correct answer is National Waterway-1.

Key Points

• Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) has taken up installation of RIS initially in National Waterway-1 (NW-1) on river Ganga, in three phases, viz. Haldia-Farakka, Farakka-Patna, and Patna-Varanasi.
• RIS in the Haldia-Farakka stretch has already been operationalized and in the other two stretches, it is targeted to be operationalised by December 2016.
• RIS is a combination of tracking and meteorological equipment with specialized software designed to optimize traffic and transport processes in inland navigation.
• The system enables swift electronic data transfer between mobile vessels and shore (base stations) through advance and real-time exchange of information so as to ensure navigation safety in inland waterways.
• It also provides virtual navigational aids to guide the vessel during navigation.