10-12-22 Daily-Odisha-OPSC Current Affairs

Under 5T initiatives, the Excise Department has switched over to the digital workplace eAbkari. It has developed and implemented more than 30 online modules like e-Lottery, Instant issue and renewal of excise licences, brand label registrations with 100% online payment, DPR, CCIS, SIR and mobile application development for tracking or raid spots and excise shops bringing transparent, hassle-free, real-time, seamless and timely service delivery eliminating physical touch points, reducing discretion and providing faceless service at doorsteps.

This has led to proper monitoring and strengthening of enforcement activities, curbing of illicit and spurious liquor, timely service delivery at different levels, proper with regulation of production and manufacture and above all, change of public perception and transformation in the department, an official release stated.

Last year, total 45,541 excise cases were detected till December against 29,038 till December 2021 with an increase of 56%. Further, 1,310 cases were detected under the NDPS Act till December 2022 against575 in 2021 during the same period with an increase of 127%. Similarly, till December, Rs 6,197.54 crore was collected including VAT against Rs 5,023.92 crore in 2021 with an increase of 23%.

In the Independence Day speech on August 15, 2021,thePrime Minister announced the launch of National Hydrogen Mission. The Ministry of New and has accordingly prepared a draft Mission document which inter-alia proposes to support production and deployment of Green Hydrogen.

Green Hydrogen can potentially be used to replace fossil fuels and fossil fuel based feedstocks in a number of sectors inter alia including fertilizer production, petroleum refining, steel production and transport applications.

Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) led by Arvind Kejriwal is all set to become the latest political outfit to get the status of ‘national party’ as the counting of votes is underway in recently concluded Gujarat Assembly . For AAP to get the status of the national party it will require atleast 6% vote share and needs to win atleast two seats.

To earn a national party status, a political party needs to be recognized in at least four states, and to be recognised as a state party, it needs to win at least two seats and 6 per cent of votes polled in the Assembly election. In other words, AAP needs to win just two seats and secure 6 per cent of votes

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) will launch India’s first-ever surety Insurance product on December 19 to boost liquidity in the Infrastructure sector.

While surety bonds refer to the performance or delivery obligation to complete the insured project, the corporate bonds refer to financial obligation to repay the debts or loans.

The European Union has given Croatia the green Light to begin using the euro and join theSchengen zone from next year.

The country will join 19 other EU member states that use the currency.

It will adopt the currency from 1 January 2023, making Croatia the latest nation to join the eurozone since Lithuania in 2015.

From next year, it will mean that just seven EU countries still use their own currency.

By adopting the euro, the eastern European nation hopes to gain more financial security and improve the living standards of its citizens.

Croatia will also benefit economically from closer financial links with the single currency areas other members and the European Central Bank.

As Croatia becomes the 20th EU nation to adopt the euro, there are still a number of members that havent taken this step.

In total, seven EU countries dont use the euro: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary,Poland, Romania, and Sweden.