UniFocus IAS ( UNIFOCUS UNIVERSAL )

A country applying to become a  member state  of the European Union. Candidate country status is conferred by the  European Council  on the basis of an opinion from the  European Commission , drawn up following an application for membership of the  European Union  (EU) by the country concerned. Candidate country status does not give an automatic a right to join the EU. The Commission scrutinises the application in the light of the accession criteria (Copenhagen criteria), while the accession process starts with the European Council decision to open  accession negotiations . Depending on their circumstances, a candidate country may be required to institute a reform process to bring their legislation in line with the  EU acquis  and to strengthen their infrastructure and administration if necessary. The accession process is based on the pre-accession strategy, which provides instruments such as financial aid. Accession and membership of th...

  The   IISS Asia Security Summit: The Shangri-La Dialogue   ( SLD ) is a " Track One "   inter-governmental security   conference   held annually in   Singapore   by an independent think tank, the   International Institute for Strategic Studies   (IISS). The dialogue is commonly attended by defence ministers, permanent heads of ministries and military chiefs of mostly   Asia-Pacific   states. The forum's name is derived from the   Shangri-La Hotel   in   Singapore , where it has been held since 2002. The summit serves to cultivate a sense of community among the most important policymakers in the defence and security community in the region. Government delegations have made the best out of the meeting by holding bilateral meetings with other delegations on the sidelines of the conference. While primarily an inter-governmental meeting, the summit is also attended by legislators, academic experts, distinguished jou...

 It is an initiative  in field of innovation through participation of start-ups and other entities.   This policy will bring scale and efficiency in the field of operation, maintenance and infrastructure creation through participation of very large and untapped startup ecosystem. Salient details of Indian Railway Innovation Policy are as under:-  Grant up to Rs. 1.5 Crore to innovator on equal sharing basis with provision of milestone-wise payment. Complete process from floating of problem statement to development of prototype is online with defined time line to make it transparent and objective. Trials of prototypes will be done in Railways. Enhanced funding will be provided to scale up deployment on successful performance of prototypes.  Selection of Innovator/s will be done by a transparent and fair system which will be dealt through online portal inaugurated today by Minister of Railways.  Developed Intellectual property rights (IPR) will remain with in...

  State-owned NHAI has created a Guinness World Record for the longest continuously laid bituminous lane of 75 kilometres in 105 hours and 33 minutes on the national highway between Amravati and Akola districts in Maharashtra. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/gadkari-announces-guinness-world-record-by-nhai-for-laying-75km-highway-in-105-hrs/article65506818.ece

  Kheer Bhawani,   Ksheer Bhawani   or the   Ragnya Devi temple   is a Hindu temple situated at a distance of 25 kilometres (16 mi) north-east of   Srinagar , Jammu and Kashmir, India, in the village of Tulmul   in   Ganderbal . It is dedicated to the Hindu goddess Kheer   Bhavani   constructed over a sacred spring.   As is the custom with   Hindu deities , the goddess has many names including   Ragyna   or   Rajna , along with variations in honorifics such as   devi ,   mata   or   bhagavati .   The term   kheer   refers to a milk and rice pudding that is offered to propitiate the goddess. Kheer Bhawani is sometimes translated as 'Milk Goddess'. The worship of Kheer Bhawani is universal among the   Hindus of Kashmir , most of them who worship her as their protective patron deity   Kuladevi . The sacred spring here has its own attached superstition. An eponymously...