SPORTS
India Shines with 9 Medals at 32nd World University Games in Germany
• Seema made history as the first Indian woman to win a 5000m medal at the Games, claiming silver with a time of 15:35.86.
• Sahil Jadhav secured gold in men’s compound individual archery, boosting India’s archery performance.
• The Indian archery contingent wrapped up with a total of five medals across events.
• Preneet Kaur earned silver in a nail-biting women’s compound archery final.
• India’s compound mixed archery team clinched gold in their category.
• The men’s compound team added a silver, while the women’s team brought home bronze.
• In athletics, Praveen Chitravel won silver in triple jump with an impressive 16.66m leap.
• With a total of nine medals, India continues its strong run after its best-ever 2023 performance in Chengdu.
Divya Deshmukh Creates History with Grandmaster Title and World Cup Victory
• Divya Deshmukh became the fourth Indian woman Grandmaster and the first to win the FIDE Women’s World Cup.
• She defeated senior player Koneru Humpy in the final held in Batumi, Georgia.
• The match ended 2.5–1.5 in Divya’s favor after intense tiebreak games over three days.
• After two drawn classical games and one drawn rapid game, she clinched victory in the second rapid.
• At just 19, Divya showed great composure against Humpy, who is nearly twice her age.
• She now joins Humpy, Dronavalli Harika, and R Vaishali as India’s female Grandmasters.
• Divya becomes the 88th player worldwide to earn the Grandmaster title and qualifies for the 2026 Candidates Tournament.
• PM Narendra Modi praised Divya’s historic win and appreciated Humpy’s valiant effort.
APPOINTMENTS
Utpal Kumar Singh Takes Over as New CEO of Sansad TV
• Utpal Kumar Singh, Secretary-General of the Lok Sabha, has been named the new CEO of Sansad TV.
• He succeeds Rajit Punhani, a 1991 batch IAS officer, who held the post during Jagdeep Dhankhar’s vice-presidency.
• The appointment was approved by the Sansad TV Governing Council, as per the official order dated July 23, 2025.
• Singh will take charge immediately and manage dual roles until a separate CEO is appointed.
• Sansad TV was created in 2021 by merging Lok Sabha TV and Rajya Sabha TV.
• Lok Sabha TV began broadcasting in 2006, while Rajya Sabha TV launched in 2011.
• The move aims to streamline parliamentary broadcasting under a unified platform.
• Singh’s appointment signals a continued focus on institutional leadership and media outreach.
GOVERNMENT SCHEMES
NALSA Launches ‘Veer Parivar Sahayata Yojana’ to Support Armed Forces Legally
• NALSA introduced the ‘Veer Parivar Sahayata Yojana’ to strengthen legal aid for armed forces personnel and their families.
• The scheme was announced during the North Zone Regional Conference held in Srinagar.
• The event focused on justice for defence personnel and tribal communities, under the theme "Reaffirming the Constitutional Vision of Justice."
• Justice Surya Kant, Supreme Court judge and NALSA’s Executive Chairman, led the conference.
• The initiative aims to set up a legal support network within Sainik Boards at district, state, and central levels.
• These boards, already serving as welfare hubs for soldiers, will now provide legal aid services.
• Defence families and veterans are encouraged to act as paralegal volunteers under the scheme.
• Justice Kant highlighted that soldiers often face legal issues like family and property disputes, which they cannot manage from distant postings.
DEFENCE
Successful User Trials of DRDO's Pralay Missile Conducted on July 28–29, 2025
• DRDO successfully conducted back-to-back test launches of the Pralay missile on July 28 and 29, 2025, from Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Island, Odisha.
• These launches were part of user evaluation trials to validate the missile’s performance across its full operational range.
• Both missiles accurately followed their planned trajectories and struck designated targets with precision.
• All onboard systems, including propulsion and control mechanisms, functioned flawlessly during the trials.
• Pralay is a solid-fuel, surface-to-surface missile with a quasi-ballistic flight path, enhancing its strike effectiveness.
• Equipped with advanced guidance and navigation systems, the missile is capable of high-accuracy targeting.
• It is capable of carrying multiple types of warheads and is designed to engage diverse targets effectively.
• The missile was developed by Research Centre Imarat with support from other DRDO labs and key industry partners including Bharat Dynamics Ltd, Bharat Electronics Ltd, MSMEs, and private firms.
ECONOMY NEWS
India's Industrial Growth Slows to 1.5% in June 2025
• Industrial output growth, measured by IIP, eased to 1.5% in June 2025, down from 1.9% in May.
• Growth was significantly lower than the 4.9% recorded in June 2024.
• Manufacturing sector showed improvement, rising by 3.9% compared to 2.6% in the previous month.
• Mining output contracted sharply by 8.7% during the month.
• Electricity generation dropped by 2.6% year-on-year in June.
• Infrastructure and Construction Goods output rose 7.2% from June last year.
• Intermediate goods grew by 5.5%, while capital goods increased by 3.5% year-on-year.
• Consumer durables rose 2.9%, but primary goods fell 3% and non-durables dipped by 0.4%.
