Prelims Current Affairs includes Women’s Equality Day, Onam 2026, Operation Economic Outcast , Annapoorani Super Six LPG Scheme, India’s Land Restoration, National Animal Disease Control Programme (NADCP), Sophie Adenot – First French Woman To Perform Iss Spacewalk & Terrier Cyber Quest 2026 (TCQ 3.0)

IMPORTANT DAYS 

1. Women’s Equality Day

Current Context: Women’s Equality Day 2026 will be observed in the United States on 26 August.

ABOUT WOMEN’S EQUALITY DAY

• Date: 26 August every year
• Historical Significance: Commemorates the certification of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution on 26 August 1920, which granted women the right to vote
• Establishment: First observed in 1971 and officially designated as an annual observance in 1973
• Focus: Gender equality, women’s empowerment, workplace equality, equal access to education and healthcare, and combating gender discrimination.

IMPORTANT DAYS 

2. Onam 2026

Current Context: Onam 2026 is being celebrated in Kerala as a 10-day harvest festival from Atham to Thiruvonam, with Thiruvonam falling on 26 August 2026.

ABOUT ONAM

• Malayalam Month: Celebrated during Chingam, generally falling in August–September
• Nature: Traditional harvest festival associated with prosperity and abundance

MYTHOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE

• Central Figure: King Mahabali, remembered as a generous, wise and prosperous ruler
• Legend: Lord Vishnu appeared as Vamana, a dwarf Brahmin, and asked Mahabali for three paces of land
• Three Steps: Vamana covered the Earth and sky in two steps; Mahabali offered his head for the third
• Annual Return: Vishnu granted Mahabali the privilege of returning to Earth once every year

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

3. Operation Economic Outcast

Current Context: The US has launched Operation Economic Outcast, a global campaign aimed at restricting Iran’s revenue sources, economic networks and international trade links.

ABOUT OPERATION ECONOMIC OUTCAST

• Announced By: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on 24 August 2026
• Objective: Cut off Iran’s global economic supply lines and reduce revenue available to the Iranian regime
• Scope: Global, with potential impact on foreign businesses and countries dealing with targeted Iranian networks
• Secondary Sanctions: Foreign businesses or entities dealing with targeted Iranian economic networks may face US sanctions

KEY SECTORS TARGETED

• Digital Assets
• Technology
• Gold
• Aviation
• Shipping

IRANIAN OIL REVENUES

• Oil Revenue: Iranian oil revenues remain a major target
• Focus: Disrupting financial transactions and networks used to convert oil earnings into usable funds
• Fresh Sanctions: US Treasury imposed sanctions on 60 entities, vessels and individuals across countries including UAE, Hong Kong, China, Singapore and Switzerland

SIGNIFICANCE

• US Objective: Increase pressure on Iran over its nuclear programme and regional activities
• Iranian Response: Iran has rejected the effectiveness of additional sanctions and stated that such pressure will not change its position.

STATE NEWS

4. ANNAPOORANI SUPER SIX LPG SCHEME

Current Context: The Tamil Nadu Government has announced the Annapoorani Super Six LPG Scheme to provide reimbursement for domestic LPG cylinder purchases to eligible families through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).

ABOUT ANNAPOORANI SUPER SIX LPG SCHEME

• Announcement: Introduced in the State Assembly on 24 August 2026
• Implementation: From Pongal Day, January 2027
• Objective: To reduce the financial burden of domestic LPG consumption for eligible households
• Payment Mechanism: Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT)

ELIGIBLE BENEFICIARIES

• Income Criterion: Families with annual income of ₹2.5 lakh or below
• Farmers: Includes middle farmers and marginal farmers
• Persons with Disabilities: Eligible under the scheme

ENVIRONMENT

5. INDIA’S LAND RESTORATION

Current Context: India restored 21.76 million hectares of degraded land during 2011–2020, generating approximately 1.22 billion person-days of employment, according to Union Minister of State for Environment Bhupender Yadav at COP17 of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

• Significance: Supports sustainable land management, biodiversity conservation, climate-change mitigation and rural development

BONN CHALLENGE

• Nature: International initiative to restore degraded and deforested landscapes
• India’s First Commitment: Made in 2015
• Revised Target: India raised its restoration commitment to 26 million hectares by 2030
• Progress: 76 million hectares restored during 2011–2020

RESTORATION MONITORING: 2021–2025

• Next Reporting Cycle: India is preparing its restoration progress report for 2021–2025
• Institutions Involved: ICFRE Centre of Excellence on Sustainable Land Management and IUCN

KEY LAND RESTORATION INITIATIVES

• Green India Mission: Enhances Forest and tree cover, ecosystem services and climate resilience
• CAMPA: Provides funds for compensatory afforestation and restoration activities
• Nagar Van Yojana: Promotes development of urban forests as part of ecological restoration efforts

SCHEMES AND PROGRAMMES

6. NATIONAL ANIMAL DISEASE CONTROL PROGRAMME (NADCP)

Current Context: National Animal Disease Control Programme (NADCP) is one of India’s major livestock-health programmes, aimed at controlling and eventually eradicating Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and controlling Brucellosis through nationwide vaccination and disease surveillance.

ABOUT NADCP

• Launched: 2019
• Ministry: Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying
• Target animals: Cattle, buffaloes, sheep, goats and pigs for FMD, and bovine species for Brucellosis.
• It is implemented across all States and Union Territories.

Vaccination Targets:

• FMD:100% vaccination of all livestock twice a year
• Brucellosis:Once-in-a-lifetime vaccination of female bovine calves (4-8 months old)

About FMD:

• Highly contagious viral disease of cloven-hoofed animals
• Affects: Cattle, buffaloes, sheep, goats, pigs
• Leads to: Reduced milk yield, decreased growth, infertility

About Brucellosis:

• Caused by: Bacterium Brucella abortus
• Symptoms: Fever, induced abortion, infertility, reduced milk production

PERSON IN NEWS

7. SOPHIE ADENOT – FIRST FRENCH WOMAN TO PERFORM ISS SPACEWALK

Current Context: ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot became the first French woman to perform a spacewalk outside the International Space Station (ISS). She conducted the spacewalk with NASA astronaut Anil Menon.

ABOUT SOPHIE ADENOT

• Organisation: European Space Agency (ESA)
• Profession: Astronaut, engineer and helicopter test pilot
• Her first spaceflight began in February 2026 as part of the SpaceX Crew-12 mission.
• Second French woman in space(after Claudie Haigneré, 1996)
• Designation:S. Spacewalk 97 (282nd ISS spacewalk)

DEFENCE

8. TERRIER CYBER QUEST 2026 (TCQ 3.0)

Current Context: The Territorial Army, in collaboration with CyberPeace, launched the third edition of Terrier Cyber Quest 2026 (TCQ 3.0), a national-level hackathon focused on defence, cybersecurity and information-domain challenges

ABOUT TCQ 3.0

• Main focus: AI, cybersecurity, threat mitigation and digital awareness
• Objective: Develop indigenous technological solutions for emerging national-security challenges.
• Three Tracks:
  1. Bug Hunting:Identify security flaws in simulated critical infrastructure
  2. AI Kavach:AI/ML solutions for threat detection and cyber defence
  3. Creators Challenge:Digital campaigns on deepfakes, phishing, scams, misinformation

About Territorial Army:

• Role:“Second Line of Defence”
• Established: 1920
• Legal basis: Territorial Army Act, 1920
• Eligibility:Citizens (18-42 years), Graduate, Gainfully employed

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