India's first National Centre for Marine Biodiversity (NCMB) is located in which city?

The correct answer is B, Jamnagar. Jamnagar sits on the Gulf of Kutch, which is among India's richest marine ecosystems, with coral reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds and a large number of marine species. The Gulf of Kutch Marine National Park, set up in Jamnagar district in 1980, is India's first marine national park, and the city is the natural base for marine biodiversity research and conservation in western India.

Why the others fail:

• A) Bhavnagar: It has the Marine Research Station of CSMCRI, which works on salt and marine chemicals. That is a research institute, not the national marine biodiversity centre.
• C) Mumbai: The city hosts major natural history and research institutions, such as BNHS, but it is not the location of this national marine biodiversity centre.
• D) Puducherry: It is a coastal Union Territory with its own marine and coastal interests, but it does not host this national centre.

Core concept: marine protected areas and coastal biodiversity conservation. This links to the Environment syllabus on ecosystems and protected areas, and to Mains GS-III on coastal zone management and the CRZ regime.

Trap: Aspirants pick a famous research city or a big metro because it sounds like a national centre. Verify the marine protected area or the specific institution before choosing.