Table of Contents
Patachitra Painting:
Pattachitra or Patachitra is a general term for traditional, cloth-based scroll painting, based in the eastern Indian states of Odisha and West Bengal. The pattachitra art form is known for its intricate details as well as mythological narratives and folktales inscribed in it. Patachitra paintings are made over a piece of cloth known as ‘Pata’ or a dried palm leaf, which is first painted with a mixture of chalk and gum. Over the prepared surface, colourful and intricate pictures of various gods, goddesses, and mythological scenes with ornamentation of flowers, trees, and animals are then painted.
SIPRI Report:
SIPRI is an independent international institute dedicated to research into conflict, armaments, arms control, and disarmament. Established in 1966, SIPRI provides data, analysis, and recommendations, based on open sources, to policymakers, researchers, media and the interested public. Based in Stockholm, SIPRI is regularly ranked among the most respected think tanks worldwide. Stating that India’s expenditure in 2019 was 6.8% more than that in 2018, the report says the country’s military expenditure has risen significantly over the past few decades. It grew by 259% over the 30-year period of 1990–2019, and by 37% over the decade of 2010–19.
Indian Banks’ Association (IBA):
Indian Banks’ Association, formed on 26 September 1946 as a representative body of management of banking in India operating in India – an association of Indian banks and financial institutions based in Mumbai. With an initial membership representing 22 banks in India in 1946, IBA currently represents 237 banking companies operating in India. IBA was formed for development, coordination, and strengthening of Indian banking, and assist the member banks in various ways including implementation of new systems and adoption of standards among the members. Indian Banks’ Association is managed by a managing committee, and the current managing committee consists of one chairman, 3 deputy chairmen, 1 honorary secretary, and 26 members.
ICESat-2 :
NASA’s ICESat-2 launched less than three months ago has mapped melting ice sheets in Antarctica and the resulting sea-level rise across the globe, which could help improve climate forecasts. The ICESat-2 stands for Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 . It is measuring the height of sea ice to within an inch, tracing the terrain of previously unmapped Antarctic valleys, surveying remote ice sheets, and peering through forest canopies and shallow coastal waters. With each pass of the ICESat-2 satellite, the mission is adding to datasets tracking Earth’s rapidly changing ice.
GRACE-FO Mission:
The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment Follow-On (GRACE-FO) mission is a partnership between NASA and the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ). GRACE-FO is a successor to the original GRACE mission, which orbited Earth from 2002-2017.