Prelims Current Affairs includes National Statistics Day 2026, Operation Amistad Sends Indian Aid To Venezuela, India Launches World’s First Nuclear Process Heat-Based Hydrogen Production Facility, Pfrda Launches Ai-Powered ‘Pension Sahayak’, Corporate Mitra Scheme, Bharat Taxi Launched In Gujarat, Odisha Launches Go-East Policy, Lake Laach (Laacher See) & Ahesh Dixit Appointed As New Intelligence Bureau Director

DAYS TO REMEMBER

1. NATIONAL STATISTICS DAY 2026

 Current Context: The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) will celebrate the 20th Statistics Day on 29th June 2026 at Dr. Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi.

ABOUT STATISTICS DAY

• Commemorates: Birth anniversary of Professor Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis (pioneer in statistics and economic planning)
• Known as the Father of Modern Statistics in India.
• Founded the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) in 1931.
• Established the National Sample Survey (NSS) in 1950.
• First celebrated: 2007
• Theme 2026: “Unlocking the Potential of Administrative Data”

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

2.OPERATION AMISTAD SENDS INDIAN AID TO VENEZUELA

Current Context: India launched Operation Amistad on 26 June 2026 to provide humanitarian assistance.

ABOUT THE OPERATION

• India has launched Operation Amistad, a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) mission to support Venezuela after devastating earthquakes struck the country’s northern region.
• “Amistad” is a Spanish word meaning “Friendship”, symbolizing India’s solidarity with the people of Venezuela
• Under the operation, the Indian Air Force (IAF) deployed two C-17 Globemaster III aircraft carrying medical teams, field hospitals, medicines, and relief materials to the affected areas
• Relief material: Over 35 tonnes (medicines, medical equipment, two BHISHM Cubes)
• Medical team: 41-member team from Indian Army’s 60 Para Field Hospital

 MAJOR INTERNATIONAL HADR OPERATIONS BY INDIA

• Operation Maitri (2015) – Earthquake relief in Nepal.
• Operation Raahat (2015) – Evacuation from Yemen.
• Operation Sankat Mochan (2016) – Evacuation from South Sudan.
• Operation Samudra Setu (2020) – Repatriation of Indians during COVID-19.
• Operation Brahma (2025) – Earthquake relief in Myanmar.
• Operation Sagar Bandhu (2025) – Humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka.
• Operation Amistad (2026) – Earthquake relief to Venezuela.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

3. INDIA LAUNCHES WORLD’S FIRST NUCLEAR PROCESS HEAT-BASED HYDROGEN PRODUCTION FACILITY

Current Context: India has commissioned the world’s first Nuclear Process Heat-Based Hydrogen Production Facility at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu.

ABOUT THE FACILITY

• The plant uses nuclear reactor process heat instead of electricity to produce hydrogen, marking a major breakthrough in clean hydrogen technology.
  • Uses nuclear-generated process heat (around 500°C) to split water into hydrogen and oxygen; produces no carbon emissions
• Technology: Copper-Chlorine (Cu-Cl) Thermochemical Cycle (developed indigenously by BARC)
• Heat source: Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) – commissioned in 1985, India’s first operational fast breeder reactor
• Significance: World’s first hydrogen production facility based on nuclear process heat; validates feasibility of producing clean hydrogen using nuclear energy

About BARC

• Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) is India’s premier multidisciplinary nuclear research and development institution. Establishedin 1954 as Atomic Energy Establishment, Trombay (AEET).
• It functions under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), which is directly under the Prime Minister of India.
• Headquarters: Trombay, Mumbai, Maharashtra
• Renamed Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in 1967 in honour of Homi Jehangir Bhabha after his death.

ECONOMY

4.  PFRDA LAUNCHES AI-POWERED ‘PENSION SAHAYAK’

Current Context: PFRDA has launched the AI-enabled ‘Pension Sahayak’ portal.

ABOUT PENSION SAHAYAK

• The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) has launched “PFRDA Pension Sahayak”, an AI-powered grievance redressal platform to provide faster, more transparent, and user-friendly services to subscribers of the National Pension System (NPS) and Atal Pension Yojana (APY)
• Features: Integrates multiple pension services into single digital ecosystem, supports 22 Indian languages through Bhashini offers voice-based grievance filing

About PFRDA

• Established: 23 August 2003 (Statutory status under the PFRDA Act, 2013, effective from 1 February 2014)
• Administrative Ministry: Ministry of Finance
• Headquarters: New Delhi

ECONOMY

5. CORPORATE MITRA SCHEME

Current Context: The Corporate Mitra scheme will commence with 2,000 participants, including 200 people from the North East region, according to the Corporate Affairs Ministry.

ABOUT THE SCHEME

• MCA has launched the Corporate Mitra Scheme, announced in the Union Budget 2026-27, to create a pool of trained para-professionals who will assist Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in managing business operations and regulatory compliance.
• A skill development and employment-oriented programme to train Corporate Mitras (para-professionals) for supporting MSMEs.
• The scheme is being implemented in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, Institute of Company Secretaries of India, and Institute of Cost Accountants of India.
• Services provided: Regulatory compliance, GST, accounting, financial guidance, cost accounting, secretarial services
• Target areas: Tier-II and Tier-III cities
• Training duration: 6-month Academic Course + 6-month On-the-Job training
• Eligibility: Candidates up to 30 years, graduates or final-year students

STATES IN NEWS

6. BHARAT TAXI LAUNCHED IN GUJARAT

Current Context: Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched the cooperation-based taxi service Bharat Taxi in Gujarat on 27 June 2026.

ABOUT BHARAT TAXI

• Bharat Taxi is India’s first cooperative-based, driver-owned ride-hailing platform. To provide a fair and transparent alternative to private taxi aggregators.
• It is operated by Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Ltd.
• Registered under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act, 2002.
• Launch cities: 14 major cities in Gujarat (Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot)
• Associated with: “Sahkar se Samriddhi” vision

ECONOMY

7. ODISHA LAUNCHES GO-EAST POLICY

Current Context: Odisha has unveiled the GO-EAST policy alongside key amendments to its Industrial Policy Resolution (IPR) 2022.

ABOUT GO-EAST POLICY

• GO-EAST (Growth Oriented Enterprise & Accelerated State Transformation) initiative to attract investments from Eastern and North-Eastern India and accelerate balanced industrial development across the state.
• It is a dedicated investment facilitation platform launched by the Odisha Government.
• It aims to position Odisha as the preferred industrial and investment destination for eastern and north-eastern India
• Key features: Single-window investment facilitation, faster project approvals, real-time investment tracking, dedicated GO-EAST Cell, Go SWIFT digital monitoring module
• Focus: 15 backward districts including Balangir, Kalahandi, Nuapada, Kandhamal, Boudh, Gajapati

PLACES IN NEWS

8. LAKE LAACH (LAACHER SEE)

Current Context: Laacher See (Lake Laach) has recently been in the news due to renewed scientific interest in its volcanic activity after studies reported continuing magmatic recharge beneath the volcano, although there is no indication of an imminent eruption.

ABOUT LAKE LAACH

• Laacher See is a volcanic caldera lake located in the Rhineland-Palatinate.
• It lies in the East Eifel Volcanic Field, part of the larger Volcanic Eifel region of western Germany.
• It is the largest natural lake in Rhineland-Palatinate.
• Area: About 3.3 km²
• Maximum Depth: About 53 metres.

APPOINTMENTS

9. AHESH DIXIT APPOINTED AS NEW INTELLIGENCE BUREAU DIRECTOR

Current Context: The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), has approved the appointment of Mahesh Dixit as the new Director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB).

ABOUT THE APPOINTMENT

• Succeeds: Tapan Kumar Deka
• Term: Two years
• Current role: Special Director, IB

ABOUT INTELLIGENCE BUREAU

• India’s oldest internal intelligence agency
• Functions under: Ministry of Home Affairs
• Responsibilities: Domestic intelligence, counter-intelligence, counter-terrorism, monitoring threats to national security

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