current affairs 21 December 2022

INSV Tarini to participate in 50th edition of Cape Town to Rio Race 2023.

• INSV Tarini has set sail for an expedition to Cape Town, South Africa for participating in the 50th edition of Cape to Rio Race 2023.
• This ocean sailing race will be flagged off on 2nd January, 2023 from Cape Town and will culminate at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
• Aim: To train crew onboard, in essential seamanship skills including Navigation, Communication, and Planning.
• The expedition is being undertaken by an Indian Navy crew of five officers including two women officers.

Gaya and Nalanda selected for development under Swadesh Darshan 2.0.

• Union Tourism Minister, G Kishan Reddy has informed in Lok Sabha, that Gaya and Nalanda in Bihar have been selected for development under Swadesh Darshan 2.0.
• He has also informed that the Punaura Dham site in the Sitamarhi district of Bihar has been identified for development under the Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) Scheme.
• The ministry has now revamped its Swadesh Darshan scheme as Swadesh Darshan 2.0.

West Bengal’s "Duare Sarkar" scheme wins Centre’s Digital India Award.

• A flagship scheme of West Bengal, Duare Sarkar (Government at doorstep) has been selected for the Platinum Award at the Digital India Awards 2022.
• The scheme has been awarded in the Public Digital Platforms — Central Ministries, Departments and States category.
• President Droupadi Murmu will give the award to the state on January 7,2023 at a function in Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi.
• Duare Sarkar scheme was launched in December 2020.

Google partners with Digilocker for on-device storage.

• Google has announced a partnership with the DigiLocker in the Google for India 2022 event.
• DigiLocker is a govt authorised identification storage system, to bring the govt issued ID to the local storage of Android devices.
• This partnership is a part of Google’s AI offerings that include on-device processing of text and images to identify important documents, and organise them.
• The Android operating system of Google will also tap into the DigiLocker API.

Tamil Nadu government makes Aadhaar a must for all of its schemes.

• The Tamil Nadu government has made mandatory of Aadhaar number or Aadhaar identification for all those who are eligible for benefits (other than minor children) under various government schemes.
• According to the order, the Aadhaar card is mandatory for government employees, government pensioners and beneficiaries of various schemes.
• The government has also announced remedial mechanisms if Aadhaar identification fails due to poor biometrics or any other reason.