Prelims Current Affairs includes Global family day, Fide world rapid chess championship 2025, Pinaka weapon system, Index of industrial production (iip), Rakesh aggarwal given additional charge as nia chief, India and rare earth elements and Death of khaleda zia

IMPORTANT DAY

1. GLOBAL FAMILY DAY

• Celebrated every year on 1 January
• Aim : to promote peace, unity, and harmony among people worldwide.

SPORTS

2. FIDE WORLD RAPID CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP 2025

Current Context : The Prime Minister congratulated Indian Grandmasters Koneru Humpy and Arjun Erigaisi for winning bronze medals at the FIDE World Rapid Chess Championship 2025 in Doha.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

• Koneru Humpy and Arjun Erigaisi won bronze medals.
• Arjun Erigaisi won his first-ever medal at the event.
• He became only the second Indian male player after Viswanathan Anand to reach the podium.

ABOUT FIDE

• Full Form: Fédération Internationale des Échecs.
• Role: Governing body of international chess.
• Headquarters: Lausanne, Switzerland.

DEFENCE

3. PINAKA WEAPON SYSTEM

Current Context: DRDO successfully conducted the maiden flight test of the Pinaka Long Range Guided Rocket (LRGR) with a range of 120 kilometres.

ABOUT PINAKA

• Type: Multi Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) system.
• Purpose: Long-range artillery bombardment and softening enemy positions.
• Range (LRGR): Up to 120 kilometres.

DEVELOPMENT

• Designed by Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE).
• Developed in collaboration with HEMRL, DRDL, and RCI under DRDO.

ECONOMY

4. INDEX OF INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTION (IIP)

Current Context: India’s industrial output growth surged to a 25-month high of 6.7% in November 2025.

ABOUT IIP

• Published By: Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
• Nature: Monthly indicator of short-term industrial production trends.
• Base Year: 2011–12.

SECTORAL WEIGHTS

• Manufacturing: 77.6%
• Mining: 14.4%
• Electricity: 8%

APPOINTMENTS

5. RAKESH AGGARWAL GIVEN ADDITIONAL CHARGE AS NIA CHIEF

Current Context: IPS officer Rakesh Aggarwal was given additional charge as Director General of the National Investigation Agency.

ABOUT RAKESH AGGARWAL

• Service: Indian Police Service.
• Batch: 1994.
• Cadre: Himachal Pradesh.
• Current Role: Special Director General, NIA.

ABOUT NIA

• Established Under: NIA Act, 2008.
• Role: India’s premier counter-terrorism investigation agency.
• Focus Areas: Terrorism, terror financing, radicalisation, and national security threats.

RANKING/REPORT

6. INDIA AND RARE EARTH ELEMENTS

Current Context : India ranks third globally in rare earth reserves but contributes less than 1% of global production.

WHAT ARE RARE EARTH ELEMENTS (REEs)?

• Group of 17 critical minerals.
• Essential for EVs, wind turbines, electronics, defence systems, magnets, and batteries.
• Difficult to mine and process.

GLOBAL RESERVES (REO)

• China tops with 44 million tonnes of reserves, followed by Brazil with 21 million tonnes.
• India: 6.9 million tonnes of rare earth oxide (REO)
• Other countries with notable reserves include Australia (5.7 million tonnes), Russia (3.8 million tonnes), Vietnam (3.5 million tonnes) and the United States (1.9 million tonnes).

PRODUCTION STATUS (2024)

• China: 2,70,000 tonnes
• USA: 45,000 tonnes
• Myanmar: 31,000 tonnes
• India: 2,900 tonnes

INDIA-SPECIFIC ISSUES

• Found mainly in monazite-rich coastal sands.
• Monazite contains thorium, making mining highly regulated.
• Limited processing and weak value-chain integration.

PERSON IN NEWS

7. DEATH OF KHALEDA ZIA

Current Context : Former Bangladesh Prime Minister and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia passed away at the age of 80 in Dhaka.

TENURE AS PRIME MINISTER

• First woman Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
• Served two terms:
• 1991–1996
• 2001–2006

ABOUT BANGLADESH

• Location: Bay of Bengal; surrounded by India, borders Myanmar.
• Geography: World’s largest delta; flat alluvial plains; Sundarbans mangroves.
• People & Language: Predominantly Bengali; official language Bengali (Bangla).
• Religion: Islam is the state religion; Hinduism is the largest minority.
• Polity: Unitary parliamentary republic; independent since 16 December 1971.
• Capital: Dhaka as its.

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