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- India China Trade Resumes & Pramod Appointed Navy Deputy Chief | Updates
Today’s major current affairs that are important for students preparing for government jobs:
NATIONAL
1. A.N. Pramod takes charge as Deputy Chief of Naval Staff
Vice Admiral A.N. Pramod took charge as the Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (DCNS) of the Indian Navy on 1 August.
- He succeeded Vice Admiral Tarun Sobti.
- Vice Admiral Pramod is an expert in communication and electronic warfare and is also a Naval Air Operations Officer.
- He was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 1 July 1990.
- In April 2022, he became Assistant Chief of Naval Staff at Naval Headquarters.
- In January 2024, he was promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral and appointed Director General Naval Operations (DGNO).
- During Operation Sindoor in 2025–26, he was among the key planners of the Indian Navy’s maritime strategy and operations.
- He was awarded the Yudh Seva Medal (YSM) for his contribution to Operation Sindoor.
- The Vice Admiral oversees naval operations, strategy, modernisation, war preparedness and naval projects.
The Deputy Chief of Naval Staff is one of the most senior officers in the Indian Navy.
2. Air Marshal Tejpal Singh appointed DCAS
Air Marshal Tejpal Singh took charge as the Deputy Chief of Air Staff (DCAS) of the Indian Air Force on 1 August.
- He succeeded Air Marshal Awadhesh Kumar Bharti.
- He is a Category ‘A’ qualified flying instructor and an experimental test pilot.
- He has more than 3,500 hours of flying experience on fighter aircraft.
- He was commissioned into the fighter stream of the Indian Air Force in June 1990.
- He was appointed Air Commander in 2018 and promoted to Air Vice Marshal in February 2023.
- He was awarded the Vayu Sena Medal in January 2011 and the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in January 2021 for distinguished service.
- From 2023 to 2026, he led several operations at Air Force Headquarters.
- The Deputy Chief of Air Staff assists the Chief of Air Staff (CAS) in strategic and administrative decision-making.
The Deputy Chief of Air Staff is a senior staff officer at the headquarters of the Indian Air Force.
SPORTS
3. Ramkumar–Vijay Sundar pair wins Bonn Open 2026
Indian tennis players Ramkumar Ramanathan and Vijay Sundar Prashanth won the doubles title at the Bonn Open 2026 on 2 August.
- The unseeded Indian pair defeated Britain’s Scott Duncan and Sweden’s Adam Heinonen 7-6(4), 6-3 in a final lasting 1 hour and 31 minutes.
- This was Ramkumar’s second ATP Challenger doubles title of the year.
- Earlier, he had won the Texas Spine & Joint Challenger Men’s Championship.
- The 31-year-old Ramkumar has now won 13 ATP Challenger titles in his career.
- Vijay Sundar achieved his career-best ATP doubles ranking of 80 in 2024.
- The Bonn Open is a professional men’s clay-court tournament held in Bonn, Germany, and is part of the ATP Challenger Tour.
4. India wins 8 gold medals in a single day at Glasgow Commonwealth event
Indian athletes won a total of eight gold medals, including seven in boxing, at the Commonwealth event on 1 August.
Women’s boxing gold medallists:
- Preeti Pawar (54 kg)
- Jasmine Lamboria (57 kg)
- Sakshi Chaudhary (51 kg)
- Priya Ghanghas (60 kg)
- Arundhati Chaudhary
Men’s boxing gold medallists:
- Sachin (60 kg)
- Ankush Panghal (70 kg)
Other highlight:
- Gulveer Singh won bronze in the men’s 5,000 m and became the first athlete to win medals in both the 5,000 m and 10,000 m events.
India’s medal tally:
India is currently placed fourth in the medal standings.
MISCELLANEOUS
5. India–China border trade resumes after six years
Border trade between India and China through the Nathu La pass in Sikkim resumed on 1 August after a gap of six years.
- The trade had remained suspended since 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and border tensions.
- Trade has resumed through the Nathu La pass in East Sikkim and the Lipulekh pass in Uttarakhand.
- The historic Silk Route through Nathu La had earlier been reopened in July 2006.
- The resumption is expected to benefit local economies on both sides of the border.
- Officially, trade through Nathu La operates for about six months each year, from May to November.
- Trading activities will be conducted from Monday to Thursday.
- In the first phase, 38 registered local traders have been issued permits to exchange around 36 approved items, including handicrafts and handloom products.
- Cross-border trade through Shipki La in Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh has also resumed after nearly six years.
- The border had first been reopened for trade on 6 July 2006, 44 years after the 1962 India–China war.
After the 1962 India–China War, trade through the Nathu La Pass was suspended for the first time.
6. Diving Support Craft ‘Jalavataran’ launched for the Navy
- The fifth and final vessel of the Diving Support Craft (DSC) project, DSCA24 Jalavataran, was launched at Titagarh in Kolkata on 1 August.
- The vessel is designed for underwater operations.
- It supports Indian Navy divers during various maritime missions.
- It can be used for underwater repair, inspection, search and rescue operations.
- The craft has been designed and built according to the naval rules and regulations of the Indian Register of Shipping.
- DSCA24 is the fifth and final vessel built under this Make in India project.
- It has a large deck area, making it easier to operate with diving teams and equipment.
- The vessel can operate effectively in rough seas and difficult maritime conditions.
- It is equipped with modern diving systems suitable for operational diving missions.
The first vessel of this project, DSC A20, was commissioned into the Indian Navy in Kochi in December 2025.
This Day in History
- In 1492, the famous explorer Christopher Columbus began his first voyage from Spain.
- In 1886, Rashtrakavi, Hindi poet and writer Maithili Sharan Gupt was born.
- In 1948, the Atomic Energy Commission of India was established.
- In 1994, the first successful heart transplant in India was performed at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
