Answers

Introduction:
The South Asia Satellite  ,  also  known  as  GSAT-9  ,  is a  geostationary  communication  and  meteorology satellite  operated  by  the  ISRO  for  the  SAARC region

Applications  and  How  can  it  help  SAARC  nations:

The  satellite  will  provide  communication  service  to SAARC  member  Nations  except  Pakistan  who boycotted  in  early  2016.

Diplomatically,  the  South  Asia  satellite  is  significant for  some  reasons  like:
The  satellite  has  been  launched  without  any  specific quid  pro  quo  shows  that  India  is  willing  to  use  its technological  capabilities  as  a  tool  of  diplomacy.
It  reveals  both  India’s  ambition  and  capability  to create  what  can  be  termed  “technological commons”. 
By  “gifting”  this  satellite  to  its neighbours,  India  has  created  an  open  access resource  that  can  be  leveraged  by  the  latter  to address  some  of  their  critical  domestic  concerns.
Building  such  commons  is  essential  not  only  to address immediate problems but also spur research, innovation  and  economic  growth  in  the  region. South  Asia  satellite  will  boost  the  regional  cooperation  among  the  member  countries It will reinforce the Indian  policy  of “Neighbourhood  First”  and  help  in  increasing India’s  influence  on  face  of  aggressive  China.
It  will  open  new  avenues  of  engagement  between India  and  member  countries  thus  deepening  the economic  ties.  Also  helpful  in  promoting  “Make  in India”. It  is  also  equipped  with  remote  sensing  state  of  the art  technology  which  enables  collection  of  real-time weather  data  and  helps  in  observations  of  the geology  of  the  South  Asian  nations It  will  go  a  long  way  in  addressing  South  Asia’s economic  and  developmental  priorities

Since  these  countries  are  situated  in  disaster  prone areas  like  Nepal  and  Bhutan  in  earthquake  zone, in Bangladesh  in  flood  prone  area,  Services  of  this satellite communication and  disaster management  will  be  of  immense  help.
The  satellite  will  assist  in  the  fields  of  natural resources mapping, telemedicine, education, IT connectivity and fostering people to people contact.
This is an appropriate example of our commitment to South AsiaThe South Asia satellite is emblematic of a more confident and assertive India.
India must make a concerted effort to expand the range of technologies it can use as part of its diplomatic arsenal.

Real Estate (Regulation & Development) Act is now in effect. Discuss its key provisions.

Key provisions:- between buyers and promoters of residential real estate projects. It establishes state level regulatory authorities called Real Estate Regulatory Authorities (RERAs).
some exceptions, need to be registered with RERAs.
Promoters cannot book or offer these projects for sale without registering them. Real estate agents dealing in these projects also need to register with RERAs. upload details of the project on the website of the RERA.
These include the site and layout plan, and schedule for completion of the real estate project. buyers for a project must be maintained in a separate bank account and must only be used for construction of that project. The state government can alter this amount to less than 70%.  tribunals  called  Real  Estate  Appellate  Tribunals. Decisions  of  RERAs can be appealed in these tribunals. of  consumers  and  bring  in  efficiency  and  transparency in  the  sale/purchase  of  real  estate.  RERA  and  the Appellate  Tribunal  are  expected  to  decide  on complaints  within  an  ambitious  period  of  60  days giving  the  regulator  powers  to  make  recommendations to  State  governments  to  create  a  single  window clearance  for  approvals  in  a  time-bound  manner.  an electronic  system,  maintained  on  the  website  of  RERA, where  developers  are  expected  to  update  on  a  quarterly basis  the  status  of  their  projects,  and  submit  regular audits  and  architectural  reports.  maintain  separate escrow  accounts  in  relation  to  each  project  and  deposit 70% of the collections  in  such  an  account  to  ensure  that funds  collected  are  utilised  only  for  the  specific  project. The  Act  also  requires  real  estate  brokers  and  agents  to register  themselves  with  the  regulator.
Concerns:

Since  land  is  a  State  subject  under  the  Constitution, even  after  the  Centre  enacts  the  legislation,  State governments  will  have  to  ratify  them.  States  will  have to  set  up  the  Real  Estate  Regulatory  Authority’s (RERA)  and  the  Real  Estate  Appellate  Tribunals  and have  only  a  maximum  of  a  year  from  the  coming  into effect  of  the  Act  to  do  so.  regulate  real  estate  projects.
The act differs from these state laws on several grounds. It  will  override  the  provisions  of  these  state  laws  in  case of any inconsistencies.  amount collected from buyers of a  project  be  used  only  for  construction  of  that  project. In  certain  cases,  the  cost  of  construction  could  be  less than  70%  and  the  cost  of  land  more  than  30%  of  the total  amount  collected.  This  implies  that  part  of  the funds  collected  could  remain  unutilized,  necessitating some financing  from other  sources.  This  could  raise  the project  cost.  issues  such  as  a  lengthy  process  for  project approvals,  lack  of  clear  land  titles,  and  prevalence  of black  money.  Some  of  these  fall  under  the  State  List. protected,  developers  find  provisions  of  the  Act  to  be exceptionally  burdensome  on  a  sector  already  ailing from  a  paucity  of  funds  and  multiple  regulatory challenges.  developers  regarding  force  majeure  (acts  of god  outside  their  control)  which  result  in  a  shortage  of labour  or  issues  on  account  of  there  not  being  a  central repository  of  land  titles/deeds. Finally,  the  new  legislation  is  a  welcome  enactment.  It will  go  a  long  way  in  assisting  upstanding  developers. More  importantly,  it  will  ease  the  burden  on  innocent home  buyers  who  put  their  life’s  savings  into  a  real estate  investment  in  the  hope  of  having  a  roof  over  their head  but  often  find  their  dreams  come  tumbling  down..