Statement: In a thyristor, the holding current IH is less than the latching current IL.

Explanation:
To understand the concept of holding current and latching current in a thyristor, let's first have a brief overview of what a thyristor is.

A thyristor is a four-layer, three-junction semiconductor device that acts as a switch. It can be turned on by applying a positive voltage to the gate terminal and remains on until the current flowing through it drops below a certain threshold level. Once turned on, the thyristor latches itself into the conducting state until the forward current falls below a certain value.

1. Holding Current (IH):
The holding current, denoted as IH, is the minimum current required to maintain the thyristor in the conducting state after it has been triggered. It is the current level below which the thyristor turns off and returns to its non-conducting state.

2. Latching Current (IL):
The latching current, denoted as IL, is the minimum current required to initially trigger the thyristor into the conducting state. It is the current level at which the thyristor switches from the non-conducting state to the conducting state.

Comparison between Holding Current and Latching Current:
Now, let's compare the holding current (IH) and the latching current (IL) to determine which statement is correct.

- The holding current (IH) is the minimum current required to maintain the thyristor in the conducting state.
- The latching current (IL) is the minimum current required to initially trigger the thyristor into the conducting state.

Since the holding current is the minimum current required to maintain the thyristor in the conducting state, it must be less than or equal to the latching current. If the holding current was greater than the latching current, the thyristor would not remain in the conducting state once triggered.

Therefore, the correct statement is: In a thyristor, the holding current IH is less than the latching current IL (Option B).