Explanation: India, despite its vast longitudinal span, follows a single time zone known as Indian Standard Time (IST). IST is 5 hours and 30 minutes ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC+5:30). This means that regardless of the geographical location within India, the time remains the same across the country.
The concept of a single time zone is crucial to understand in the context of Indian geography and administration. The longitudinal difference between the easternmost and westernmost points of India is significant, with Arunachal Pradesh being in the east and Gujarat in the west. However, this difference does not translate into a time lag because the entire country adheres to IST.
The rationale behind having a single time zone is to maintain uniformity and simplify administrative and logistical operations across the country. If different time zones were implemented, it would complicate scheduling, communication, and coordination between different regions.
It is important to note that while India follows a single time zone, other countries with larger longitudinal spans may have multiple time zones. For example, the United States has multiple time zones to account for the vast longitudinal difference across the country.
In summary, the time lag between Arunachal Pradesh and Gujarat is zero because both states follow the same time zone, IST. Therefore, the correct answer is (D) None of these, as none of the provided options accurately reflect the time difference between the two states.