Daily Current Affairs Quiz
Daily Quiz — March 5, 2026
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10 questions based on today’s current affairs & editorials
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Question 1 of 10
India’s 2015 environment norms for thermal power plants sought to reduce which major pollutants through mandatory installation of equipment like FGD systems?
The 2015 environment norms for thermal power plants (notified by MoEFCC under the Environment Protection Act, 1986) set stricter limits on sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and particulate matter. Flue-Gas Desulphurisation (FGD) systems are the primary technology used to reduce SO2 emissions by removing sulphur from flue gases before they exit the chimney.
Compliance has been uneven across India’s approximately 200 coal-fired power plants.
Compliance has been uneven across India’s approximately 200 coal-fired power plants.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
Thermal power plants contribute significantly to air pollution in the Indo-Gangetic Plain. SO2 causes acid rain, which damages crops, forests, and built infrastructure. NOx contributes to ground-level ozone and smog. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) sets emission standards under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. FGD retrofitting is expensive (Rs 400-600 crore per 500 MW unit) and time-consuming, creating tensions between power security and environmental compliance.
Question 2 of 10
Flue-Gas Desulphurisation (FGD) technology installed in thermal power plants primarily reduces which pollutant?
FGD (Flue-Gas Desulphurisation) systems are specifically designed to remove sulphur dioxide (SO2) from the exhaust gases of thermal power plants. SO2 is produced when sulphur-containing coal is burned.
FGD systems use limestone slurry or other sorbents to react chemically with SO2, converting it into gypsum — which can be sold as a by-product for cement and wallboard manufacturing, partially offsetting the cost of installation.
FGD systems use limestone slurry or other sorbents to react chemically with SO2, converting it into gypsum — which can be sold as a by-product for cement and wallboard manufacturing, partially offsetting the cost of installation.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
For NOx reduction, different technologies are used — Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) or combustion modification (low-NOx burners). For particulate matter, Electrostatic Precipitators (ESPs) and Baghouse Filters are used. India has been prioritising FGD installation in coal plants near major cities and ecologically sensitive areas. The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) under the Ministry of Power monitors compliance status of all thermal plants.
Question 3 of 10
The dark oxygen phenomenon being researched by scientists is associated with which unique feature of the deep seabed?
Research suggests that polymetallic nodules on the deep seabed may generate oxygen through electrochemical processes even in the complete absence of sunlight — termed dark oxygen. This challenges the conventional assumption that substantial oxygen generation requires photosynthesis.
If confirmed, it would imply deep-ocean ecosystems are more complex than understood, strengthening the case for extreme caution in deep-sea mining operations.
If confirmed, it would imply deep-ocean ecosystems are more complex than understood, strengthening the case for extreme caution in deep-sea mining operations.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
Polymetallic nodules contain manganese, cobalt, nickel, and copper — minerals critical for batteries and clean energy. India has Pioneer Investor status for nodule exploration in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (Pacific Ocean). Deep-sea mining is regulated by the International Seabed Authority (ISA) under UNCLOS. The dark oxygen finding, if validated, would add a new dimension to biodiversity preservation arguments against seabed mining, intersecting with India’s Samudrayaan deep-ocean mission.
Question 4 of 10
Which of the following correctly states the Ramsar Convention’s definition of a wetland?
The Ramsar Convention (signed 2 February 1971 in Ramsar, Iran; entered into force 1975) defines wetlands very broadly — including marshes, fens, peatlands, and water bodies whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with fresh, brackish, or salt water. This broad definition captures rice paddies, coral reefs, mangroves, peat bogs, and constructed wetlands.
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India has 98 Ramsar-designated wetland sites as of early 2026 — the most in South Asia and among the highest in the world. Key Ramsar sites: Chilika Lake (Odisha) — India’s largest coastal lagoon and first Ramsar site (1981); Wular Lake (J&K); Loktak Lake (Manipur); Deepor Beel (Assam); Keoladeo Ghana National Park (Rajasthan). The Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017 govern wetland protection in India under MoEFCC.
Question 5 of 10
India’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP) under the UNFCCC framework addresses which aspect of climate response?
The National Adaptation Plan (NAP) is India’s framework for building long-term climate resilience — addressing how India will adapt to climate change impacts like flooding, drought, sea level rise, and extreme heat. It is distinct from India’s NDC (Nationally Determined Contribution), which covers mitigation — reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
India submitted its NAP under the UNFCCC in 2023.
India submitted its NAP under the UNFCCC in 2023.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
Under the UNFCCC, developing countries submit NAPs to address adaptation needs. India’s NDC (last updated 2022) includes: 45% reduction in emissions intensity of GDP by 2030 (from 2005 levels), 50% of cumulative electric power capacity from non-fossil sources by 2030, and restoring 26 million hectares of degraded land. India is a member of the BASIC group (Brazil, South Africa, India, China) and LMDCs (Like-Minded Developing Countries) in UNFCCC negotiations.
Question 6 of 10
Wildlife conservation finance — highlighted on World Wildlife Day — is important because which critical challenge does it address?
Conservation finance addresses the stable funding needed for protected area management, anti-poaching patrols, wildlife corridors, ecological monitoring, eco-development around parks, and compensation for communities that bear wildlife-related costs such as crop damage and livestock loss. Legal protection alone — designating a national park — rarely produces durable conservation outcomes without sustained funding.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
India’s Project Tiger — funded through centrally sponsored schemes — is a model of dedicated conservation financing. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and Wildlife Institute of India (WII) support tiger reserve management. CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority) collects developer fees for afforestation as compensation for forest diversions. International mechanisms include biodiversity credits, REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation), and the Kunming-Montreal GBF target of USD 200 billion per year for biodiversity by 2030.
Question 7 of 10
Acid deposition (acid rain), caused by SO2 and NOx from thermal power plants, damages which of the following through altered soil and water chemistry?
Acid deposition caused by SO2 and NOx harms a wide range of systems: it acidifies soils (reducing crop yields and harming forests), acidifies water bodies (killing aquatic life), and chemically erodes limestone and marble buildings, monuments, and infrastructure. The Taj Mahal’s yellowing is partly attributed to acid deposition and suspended particulate matter from nearby industrial and traffic pollution.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
Acid rain is formed when SO2 and NOx react with water, oxygen, and atmospheric chemicals to form sulphuric and nitric acids, which fall as wet deposition (rain, snow, fog) or dry deposition (gases, particles). The Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP, 1979, under UNECE) is the main international treaty addressing transboundary acid rain. India’s National Clean Air Programme (NCAP, 2019) targets 40% reduction in PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations by 2026 in 131 non-attainment cities.
Question 8 of 10
The Biomass co-firing approach in thermal power plants involves mixing which material with coal to reduce emissions and carbon intensity?
Biomass co-firing involves mixing biomass (agricultural residue pellets, wood chips, sugarcane bagasse) with coal in thermal power plants. Since biomass is considered carbon-neutral on a lifecycle basis (it re-absorbs CO2 when new plants grow), co-firing reduces the net carbon emissions per unit of electricity generated.
India has a mandate for 5-10% biomass co-firing in coal plants to manage crop stubble burning, especially in Punjab and Haryana.
India has a mandate for 5-10% biomass co-firing in coal plants to manage crop stubble burning, especially in Punjab and Haryana.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
Biomass co-firing directly addresses the stubble burning problem in Punjab and Haryana, where farmers burn rice straw after the kharif harvest — a major source of Delhi’s winter smog (PM2.5 spikes in October-November). Converting stubble into biomass pellets for co-firing creates economic value for crop residue and a market incentive for farmers. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has a National Bioenergy Programme supporting this with financial incentives.
Question 9 of 10
Which international framework governs biodiversity conservation finance and includes mechanisms for payments for ecosystem services?
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF, adopted at CBD COP15, December 2022 in Montreal) provide the international framework for biodiversity conservation finance. The Kunming-Montreal GBF includes the 30x30 target (protect 30% of land and ocean by 2030) and the goal of mobilising USD 200 billion per year for biodiversity by 2030.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
India is a signatory to the CBD (joined 1994). The Kunming-Montreal GBF is considered the Paris Agreement for biodiversity. India’s Biological Diversity Act, 2002 operationalises CBD domestically through the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA, headquartered in Chennai) and State Biodiversity Boards. India has four globally recognised biodiversity hotspots: Western Ghats, Eastern Himalayas, Indo-Burma (Northeast India and Myanmar), and part of Sundaland (Nicobar Islands).
Question 10 of 10
Which of the following best explains why compliance with thermal power plant emission norms has been uneven in India despite the 2015 deadline?
The main barriers to FGD compliance are: high capital cost of retrofitting existing plants (often Rs 400-600 crore per 500 MW unit), technology procurement timelines (requiring imported components), the risk of plant shutdown during installation affecting power supply, and financial stress of electricity distribution companies (DISCOMs), which makes passing costs to consumers politically difficult.
🎯 Concept Kit — tap to expand
This is a classic governance tension: energy security versus environmental compliance. MoEFCC has extended FGD compliance deadlines multiple times. Plants near cities and ecologically sensitive areas face stricter and earlier deadlines than remote plants. This case study illustrates regulatory credibility, cost-benefit analysis in environmental policy, the political economy of energy regulation, and the limits of command-and- control approaches — all high-value UPSC Mains GS-3 analytical themes.
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