Daily Current Affairs Quiz: March 13, 2026

Option (a) is correct: Gurudongmar Lake is a high-altitude glacial lake located in North Sikkim in the Eastern Himalayas, close to the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. Situated at about 17,800 feet (5,430 m), it is among the highest lakes in India and contributes to the headwaters feeding the Teesta River system.

Option (b) is incorrect: Tectonic lakes are formed due to movements of the Earth’s crust along faults or depressions. While the Kashmir Valley contains several tectonic and natural lakes, Gurudongmar Lake is glacial in origin, formed from glacier-fed waters in the high Himalayas.

Option (c) is incorrect: Crater lakes form when water accumulates in volcanic craters after eruptions. The Himalayan region near Sikkim is not volcanically active, and Gurudongmar Lake was formed through glacial processes rather than volcanic activity.

Option (d) is incorrect: Coastal lagoons are shallow water bodies separated from the sea by sandbars or barrier islands and are connected to marine environments such as the Bay of Bengal. Gurudongmar Lake lies deep in the high Himalayan interior, far from any coastal or marine influence.

Option (a) is incorrect: Organic farming permits the use of externally sourced certified organic fertilizers and bio-pesticides. Natural Farming differs because it emphasizes complete reliance on inputs produced within the farm, minimizing dependence on external agricultural inputs.

Option (b) is correct: Natural Farming is a chemical-free agricultural system based on ecological principles. It relies primarily on farm-generated inputs such as cow dung, cow urine, crop residues and microbial cultures like Jeevamrit, creating a self-sustaining farm ecosystem with minimal external inputs.

Option (c) is incorrect: Natural Farming does not advocate the reduced use of synthetic fertilizers. Instead, it completely avoids chemical fertilizers and pesticides, relying instead on biological processes, soil microorganisms and natural nutrient cycling within the farm ecosystem.

Option (d) is incorrect: Natural Farming encourages diversified agricultural systems integrating crops, livestock and trees rather than monoculture. Its focus is ecological sustainability, biodiversity enhancement and soil health rather than mechanized monocrop farming systems.

Option (a) is incorrect: Financial audits of environmental expenditure examine how funds are utilized for environmental activities. Such audits are related to financial accountability & regulatory compliance but do not assess environmental impacts of proposed development projects, which is the purpose of EIA.

Option (b) is incorrect: Penalties for environmental violations are imposed under environmental laws and regulatory enforcement mechanisms. EIA is a preventive planning tool, conducted before project approval, rather than a punitive mechanism applied after environmental damage occurs.

Option (c) is correct: Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a decision-making process used to evaluate the likely environmental consequences of a proposed project before it is approved or implemented. It helps policymakers anticipate environmental risks, examine alternatives and integrate environmental safeguards into development planning.

Option (d) is incorrect: Monitoring climate change involves scientific observation of atmospheric conditions, global temperatures and greenhouse gas concentrations. EIA focuses on project-specific environmental impacts, such as those arising from industries, mining, dams or infrastructure development.

Option (a) is incorrect: Predatory sharks such as great whites or Greenland sharks inhabit various ocean zones, but they are not referred to as Doomsday Fish. The term specifically refers to the oarfish, which is a long, ribbon-like deep-sea fish rather than a shark.

Option (b) is incorrect: Coral reef fishes live in shallow tropical marine ecosystems and are adapted to reef environments. The oarfish does not inhabit coral reefs and instead lives in the deep ocean twilight zone, far below the surface waters.

Option (c) is incorrect: Many deep-sea organisms exhibit bioluminescence, but the oarfish is primarily known for its extreme length, ribbon-like body and deep-sea habitat, not for bioluminescent adaptations or shallow lagoon environments.

Option (d) is correct: The “Doomsday Fish” refers to the oarfish (Regalecus glesne), a rarely seen deep-sea species and one of the longest bony fish in the world. It inhabits the mesopelagic or twilight zone (200–1000 m) and has a ribbon-like body, red dorsal crest and silvery appearance.

Option (a) is correct: The Anavaran Portal was a digital monitoring system launched by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) in January 2024 to detect forest cover loss using satellite imagery and machine learning. It generated location-specific alerts every 15 days, enabling State forest departments to conduct targeted ground inspections.

Option (b) is incorrect: Digitizing land ownership records relates to land administration and property management systems, often handled by land revenue departments. The Anavaran Portal was not designed for land record digitization but specifically for monitoring forest cover changes using geospatial data.

Option (c) is incorrect: Wildlife migration monitoring involves tracking animal movement through tools such as GPS collars, camera traps, or ecological surveys. The Anavaran system focused on detecting changes in forest vegetation and deforestation patterns, not tracking wildlife movement.

Option (d) is incorrect: Monitoring river pollution generally involves water quality sensors, hydrological surveys and environmental monitoring systems. The Anavaran Portal was instead designed to analyse satellite imagery and radar data to detect forest cover loss across India.