Centre links Farmer ID to PM-Kisan

Context:

The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare has made it mandatory for new applicants to obtain a farmer ID for enrolment into PM-Kisan to get benefits under the scheme.

More on the News:

• This system has come into force across 10 states for any new applicant with effect from January 1, 2025.
• These 10 states account for about 84 per cent (9.25 crore) of 11 crore PM-Kisan beneficiaries.
• Ten states are Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. 

The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) scheme

• It is a central sector scheme launched in 2019 by the Prime Minister to supplement the financial needs of land-holding farmers.
• Under this scheme, the financial benefit of Rs 6,000/- per year in three equal instalments every four months is transferred into the bank accounts of farmers' families across the country through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode. 

Farmer ID (Kisan Pehchaan Patra)

• It is an Aadhaar-linked unique digital identity that is linked dynamically to the state’s land records, besides having information like demographics, crops sown and ownership details.
• The government plans to generate Farmer IDs for 11 crore farmers by 2027.
• This initiative draws inspiration from Karnataka’s FRUITS (Farmer Registration and Unified Beneficiary Information System) software. 

Z-Morh Tunnel 

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Prime Minister of India to inaugurate the Z-Morh tunnel as a strategic corridor between Kashmir and Ladakh on January 13th.

Z-Morh Tunnel 

• It is a 6.5 km long 2-lane road tunnel between Gagangir and Sonamarg in the Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir. 
• It is named after the Z-shaped stretch of road that the tunnel has replaced (Z-Morh translates to “Z-turn” in English).

Significance of the tunnel

• It will provide all-weather connectivity to the Sonamarg.
• Together with the adjacent Zoji-La Tunnel (Srinagar-leh), it will provide year-round weather-proof connectivity to Baltal (Amarnath cave), Kargil and other places in the Ladakh region.
• It will also enhance military logistics and boost tourism and the economy.

Sixth-Generation Aero-Engine

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Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Chairman asked to develop a sixth-generation aero-engine by co-development with a foreign manufacturer.

More on the News

DRDO’s chairman Urges $ 4-5 billion investment for Sixth-Generation Aero-Engine

• His remark came after huge delays in the development of indigenous fighter jets as compared to China.

India is in talks with France for the co-development of a 110KN engine for the fifth-generation jet

Currently, India has five generations of fighter jets which are (or were in the past) in active service, with sixth-generation jets currently in development.

Several countries such as the US, China, Russia, the UK-Japan-Italy, and France-Germany-Spain have announced the development of sixth-generation fighters.

Sixth-Generation Aero-Engine

• It will further improve upon beyond-visual-range capabilities, stealth, computational power, and the ability for suborbital flight.
• It may be optionally manned, meaning that they may not require a human to sit in a cockpit to carry out their missions.
• Its integration of Artificial Intelligence would fundamentally revolutionise aerial warfare.

Third-party fact-checking programme

Context:

Recently, Meta announced the end of its third-party fact-checking programme in the United States.

Fact-checking programme

Meta (including Facebook, Instagram, and Threads) launched an independent fact-checking program in 2016.

Fact-checkers are independent from Meta platforms and focus on the legitimacy and accuracy of information, and take action by informing people when content has been rated. 

Fact-checkers have been replaced with community notes similar to X (Social Media Platform).

• Community Notes is a crowd-sourced moderation tool that X has promoted as a way for users to add context to posts.

Meta works with fact-checkers certified by the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN), who review and rate the accuracy of posts on Meta platforms through original reporting. 

• In India, Meta currently has 12 such fact-checking partners like PTI, AFP, India Today Fact Check, and The Quint, etc.