Category: COLUMNS
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Saeed Naqvi on why BJP lost
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By Saeed Naqvi Recent by-election reverses for the BJP are early intimations of mortality for the Narendra Modi-Amit Shah duet. As a senior BJP leader whispered: “They must come down to earth.” In other words, a degree of realism may now be introduced into the proceedings. The May parliamentary elections were peculiar in some ways.…
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My Wonderful World of Worry
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Daily Dose by Bikram Vohra If I ever get a chance to take a walk with Bobby Mcferrin, the man who sang “Don’t worry, be happy’, I think the odds are we shall end up in a dark alley where I shall initiate a deep discussion on the merits of his lyrical advice. Of all…
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Hawkish Yellen is what the Indian equity market needs
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Vatsal Srivatava in his weekly Currency Corner analyses Indian equity market On equity strategy, Currency Corner has maintained that we have reached a point where the risk-off move of the previous years (a slightly upbeat hawkish Fed leading to a fall in stock prices) is now working in just the opposite manner. As of today, the…
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Britain and Foreign Students
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Mohammad Touseef looks in to the decline of the arrival of foreign students The past 14 years have witnessed the rise and fall of independent and further Private Education Industry in United Kingdom. The reports of Quality Education Agency and Independent Schools Inspectorate have played a major role in reshaping the current immigration policy and…
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‘Willing to wound and yet afraid to strike’
By Saeed Naqvi As soon as President Barack Obama Wednesday announced his intention to lead a Coalition of the Willing to “degrade and destroy” the ISIS, his core coalition partners began to fidget and reach out for the exit door. British Foreign Secretary, Philip Hammond said “UK will not be taking part in the air…
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Amulya Ganguli on Didi’s Decline
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Amulya Ganguli says it’s now Ma, Mati, Mafia in West Bengal Mamata Banerjee belongs to the dwindling tribe of regional politicians who look upon their profession through a partisan lens, which means that their focus is almost entirely on advancing the prospects of their parties. They have neither the ability nor the inclination to do anything…
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Saeed Naqvi on Arab coalition against ISIS
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Saeed Naqvi says Obama’s new coalition against the ISIS forces is willing to wound and yet afraid to strike As soon as President Barack Obama on Wednesday announced his intention to lead a Coalition of the Willing to “degrade and destroy” the ISIS, his core coalition partners began to fidget and reach out for the…
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Erdogan Needs A Spasm Of Lucidity
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Dr. Alon Ben-Meir, a professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU, comment on Erdogan’s elevation to new post to remain in power The ascendancy of Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the presidency places Turkey on a trajectory that could usher in a new era unlike any other since the founding…
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Working yourself to death!
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The Funny Side by Nury Vittachi If they invited me on one of those radio shows where you choose your top 10 music tracks, I would choose the national anthem 10 times, so that everyone in the country would have to stand up for an hour. The fact that I would find this incredibly enjoyable is…
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Why do you want the clearance?
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Veturi Srivatsa says today athletes can go at no cost to government It was Margaret Alva as sports minister in the Rajiv Gandhi government who first said there is no such thing as “at no cost to government” for any athlete or an official to go to an international event representing the country when he…
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‘India needs electoral reforms’
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Dr Kailash Chand OBE and Prof Navdeep Singh Khaira seeking electoral reforms at world’s largest democracy – India. India needs the reformks if they want to become the BEST. Now that the din of the elections is over it is hoped that the parties and their supporters will come out of their blues of defeat and euphoria…
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Some facts on Kashmir
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Jas Uppal writes on some facts related to Kashmir in the backdrop of David Ward MP’s move to table a motion at British parliament David Ward the Member of Parliament for Bradford East recently tabled a motion to “debate” the political and humanitarian situation in Kashmir. This is scheduled to place in the British Parliament on Thursday…
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Planning for ‘The Future Commission’
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Rahul Singh, associate professor, Birla Institute of Management Technology, looks into Modi’s quest to replace Planning Commission As the Narendra Modi government completes 100 days in office, the prime minister seems keen to implement far-reaching changes, phasing out the old and ushering in the new. One of the first things he did was to question the…
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Currency Corner by Vatsal Srivastava
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Vatsal Srivastava says there is limited upside left for Indian rupee against dollar The Indian equity market party is showing no signs of losing steam with the benchmark indices closing at an all time high yet again Monday. However, the Indian Rupee will not be a guest at this party for long. This column believes that…
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People’s March to Save NHS
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Prof. Rajan Madhok walked 300 miles along 23 cities over 22 days as a member of the People’s March to Save NHS. He is sharing his experiences with Asian Lite readers. I, along with a group of people of all ages and all parts of the country, walked from Jarrow to London in support of the People’s…
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SPECIAL REPORT: Telugus in Sri Lanka
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Tuan M Zameer looks in to the affairs of an ethnic minority which is largely unknown and left un-noticed in Sri Lanka – the Lankan Telugus, popularly known as ‘Snake Charmers’ Sri Lanka is a land which is world renowned for its rich history, mouth-watering cuisine, awe inspiring nature, scintillating beaches and friendly locals. The Colonial…
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Aaron Kumar revisits the Tebbit Test
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Aaron Kumar analysing the Tebbit Test in the context of recent India-England series After winning the 4th One Day International against England and with it the series, India’s captain MS Dhoni observed that his team relish playing in Birmingham because “just like in the Champions Trophy final here last year, we enjoyed more support than…
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Special Report: The plight of Bahais
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Anando Bhakto looks in to the plight of Bahais. Persecuted in Iran, Baha’is worse off in Iraq While the rising tide of arrests of Baha’is in Iran and destruction of their cemetery in Shiraz continues to grab headlines, the community – best known in India for their magnificent lotus-shaped marble temple here that is visited…
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THE SAGA OF THE 6 STAR SHAVING CREAM
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Daily Dose by Bikram Vohra Let me hear it from all you folks who are globetrotters and keep putting your profiles on Facebook showing yourselves in airport lounges and reclining in first class cabins. Clearly, you stay in swank 6 star hotels. So tell me, their rooms have these amenities, right? and they are all…
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The Funny Side by Nury Vittachi
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Nury Vittachi on the science of superheroes Last week, my wife told me I “still had a lot of growing up to do”. I was so angry I refused to let her share this giant cardboard box I’d found. It had once contained some sort of giant TV, so was big enough for me, a pillow, the…
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Ashok Tandon on Modi’s 100 days
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Ashok Tandon says Modi govt is delivering tough messages and good policy directions The jury is still out whether Narendra Modi has ushered in “achhe din” (good days) in the first hundred days of his government. But one thing about which there are hardly two opinions among political analysts of all hues is that after…
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WHY THE BROWN IS THE NEW BLACK?
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Daily Dose by Bikram Vohra Back in 2006, Joe Biden, then a Senate candidate ran into trouble for a remark that “you cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin’ Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent.” Gaffe-prone Biden got away by explaining that it wasn’t a racial slur but “was meant as a…
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Al Qaeda’s gift to Hindu right wing
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How dangerous are Ayman al Zawahiri’s exhortations to Muslims on the sub continent? There is an expression in Hindi, “Soney pey suhaga”, suhaga being the powder which makes gold shine. In a volatile social situation, where communal polarization is an electoral requirement until key state elections are out of the way, the Zawahiri slogan may have…
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Special Report: Street theatre in Kashmir
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Sheikh Qayoom explorig the chances of the survival of street theatre in Kashmir Traditional Kashmiri street theatre, which once occupied centre stage as the most powerful medium of mass communication in Kashmiri society, seems to be dying a silent death. In ‘Bandh Pather’ artistes dressed in colourful attire move from village to village highlighting social, economic and…
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REVIEW: Modi’s Pied Piper act in Japan
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Biswajit Choudhury says Modi seen as Pied Piper for Japanese investments in India India Inc sees a big leap in Japan’s business interest in India, with the commitment of $35 billion in infrastructure a case in point, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi returned home Wednesday after a five-day visit to this East Asian nation. This…
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Special Report: Indian Online Advert Market
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K Anantha Raman says online advertising market to touch Rs.3,575 crore by March 2015 With the rise in advertisement spending by the e-commerce, telecom, fast moving consumer goods and consumer durables sectors in India, the online advertising market is projected to touch Rs.3,575 crore by March 2015, a report said . The report ‘Digital Advertising…
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GOA: Lessons to learn from Bali
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Francisco de Braganca says Goa should look east, emulate Bali’s success Goa should look east and learn from the transformation of Indonesia’s Bali province from a backward region with poor infrastructure in 2001 to a beautiful, thriving beach tourism paradise. As things stand now, Bali, as a tourism destination, is far ahead of Goa. We…
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Family dinner – Stressful?
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Ishaq Mohin says even as benefits of home-cooked meals gain currency among parents, researchers have found that home cooking and family meals place a significant stress on many families – and are simply impossible for others “This idea of a home-cooked meal is appealing, but it is unrealistic for a lot of families,” said study…
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A PLATEFUL OF NONSENSE?
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Daily Dose by Bikram Vohra How it all began was the other night we were invited to this swank restaurant (sometimes it does happen) where the stewards have fake accents and are better dressed than you are and the menus are the size of hoardings and you could covert them into tents for a family…
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Dr. Alon Ben-Meir’s Special Report on Middle East
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Dr. Alon Ben-Meir, professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU, comments on the latest developments on Israel-Palestine issue – Reckless Policies, Dire Consequences The Netanyahu-led government’s announcement of its decision to annex nearly 1,000 acres of Palestinian land in the West Bank between the Etzion settlement block and Jerusalem amounts to nothing less…
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WHY WERE THEY ASLEEP IN ROTHERHAM?
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What were they doing in Rotherham? Sleeping? Ignoring the agony whirling around them? How can you explain away 1400 cases of child molestation in a small town with 100 babies born from such sexual predators and enough whistle blowers whose whistles were not heard. Children were hurt and tortured over 10 years, they were raped…
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Active Voice – Fair Game in India
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Amit Kapoor says Competition commission proving to be efficient regulator Citizen control and takeover by companies is often pointed out as an Achilles’ heel in any capitalist society. People with leftist leanings, too often criticize free markets, citing market failure and greed as fundamental reasons for radical activism or resort to force. Not only does…
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IF YOU CANNOT HELP GET LOST
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Daily Dose by Bikram Vohra If you don’t like your job, leave it. Don’t take it out on the customer. Especially if you’re working in the service industry. There is nothing that puts one off more than a surly, sulky grumpy attendant in a Mall shop or a behind a counter or an attendant who…
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Stress-free life? Here is a solution
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Close relationships the basis of stress-free life We all know that deep and meaningful relationships play a vital role in one’s overall well-being but still, most of us are bereft of emotional bonding in life. It is imperative, therefore, to listen to your heart and stay close to those who love you the most. According…
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Tips to tame water scarcity
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Curbing water scarcity possible by 2050: Study Despite what appears to be an insurmountable problem, researchers have found that it is possible to turn the situation around and significantly reduce water scarcity in just over 35 years. With strong commitment and strategic efforts such as increased water-recycling and improved irrigation techniques it is possible to…
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Environment & Development
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Global road mapping to balance development and conservation Did you know that over 25 million km of new roads will be built worldwide by 2050, encircling the earth more than 600 times? Keeping the above fact in mind, a study has created a global map for prioritising road building across the planet to balance the…
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Amulya Ganguli reviews Modi’s 100 days in power
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Amulya Ganguli on Modi’s 100 days: Has the ‘acche din’ hype boomeranged? A month after assuming office, Narendra Modi had rued the absence in his case of the customary honeymoon period for a new prime minister. Now, the by-election setbacks and signs of dissonance at the top have cast a further shadow on his first…
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Acts of terrorism as diplomacy
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Colum by Saeed Naqvi The ISIS threat has been around for months. Why was it not nipped in the bud? Obama’s response in the course of a conversation with Thomas Friedman of the New York Times is revealing. “We did not start airstrikes all across Iraq as soon as the ISIS came in because that…
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Saeed Naqvi on ISIS
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Saeed Naqvi says terrorism a diplomatic asset: Fair is foul, foul is fair The ISIS threat has been around for months. Why was it not nipped in the bud? Obama’s response in the course of a conversation with Thomas Friedman of the New York Times is revealing. “We did not start airstrikes all across Iraq…
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PSSSSST, THERE’S A FIRE… I THINK
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Daily Dose by Bikram Vohra One of the odd things you notice in our day to day life is the complete lack of sanctity to a fire alarm bell in an office or residential block. I am sitting in this Manager’s office when the clanging starts. No one moves. The Manager continues sipping his tea.…
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Show is normal on cultural front
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Shilpa Raina analyses the Indo-Pak ties in the backdrop of strained diplomatic level relations India may have called off the Aug 25 foreign secretary-level talks with Pakistan, but this hasn’t dampened the enthusiasm of trade associations and businessmen who are bridging the dented relationship through exhibitions and cultural exchanges to promote bilateral trade between the two…
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Attenborough plans another film in India
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Raymond Kharmujai says the late British director had plans to make a documentary on Meghalaya’s matrilineal system Tribal Khasi philanthropist Honsen Lyngdoh, who was closely associated with Richard Attenborough’s Oscar-winning film ‘Gandhi’, said the late British director had plans to make a documentary on Meghalaya’s matrilineal system. The filmmaker died in London at the age of 90.…
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SPECIAL REPORT: Gold prices
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Aparajita Gupta says Gold likely to regain sheen in second half of 2014′ Despite the possibility of deficient monsoon casting a shadow on the rural demand, riding on overall better sentiments gold is expected to recover its sheen in the second half (July-December) of the year, Somasundaram P.R., managing director (India), World Gold Council said.…
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Vietnam woos Indian tourists
Ranjana Narayan says Vietnam is keen to tap India’s Bollywood tourism India and Vietnam could see a welcome jump to the poor tourist figures to each other’s countries with direct flights set to take off from November even as this pretty Southeast Asian country plans to tap Bollywood to shoot films and host its glitzy…
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The Khan factor of blockbusters
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Uma Ramasubramanian looks into the the Khan factor of 2014 Bollywood blockbusters Box office calculations indicate Bollywood made a decent start with the young kids on the block such as Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt. But the onus is on superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan to turn an average year into a blockbuster in…
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Special Report: India’s institutions
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Amit Kapoor and Sankalp Sharma look into Modi’s move to dismantle India’s institutions like Planning Commission When Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the people from the ramparts of the Red Fort on this Independence Day (August 15), he mentioned the need to do away with the Planning Commission as it does not reflect the realities…
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ANALYSIS: BJP’s by-poll debacle
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Biswajit Choudhury says high prices derail Modi factor in bypoll With explanations like the missing Modi factor or local conditions unable to fully explain BJP’s by-election losses in light of its recent overwhelming win nationally, the phenomenon of inflation, especially of food prices hurting people everywhere, has emerged as a possible answer to this poll puzzle.…
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SPLIT SONG by Bikram Vohra
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So I braille through the FB search thingee and find out an old friend’s address and phone number and I call him and he answers and I say, yo, voices from the past, old son, three guesses who it is and he can’t so I give my name and he shrieks with joy (well, not…
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SAEED NAQVI: Friends & foes
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Saeed Naqvi says even during India’s non-aligned phase, there were groups and individuals who saw Israel as a model for the wrong reasons It is widely known that New Delhi tilts towards Israel in its dealings with West Asia, particularly since the 1999 Kargil war when the Jewish state provided the ammunition required for India’s…
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RBI & Customer rights
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Venkatachari Jagannathan says RBI is just taking baby steps on customer rights’ Customers expected the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to leap forward with a strong regulation for consumer protection than taking baby steps with its draft charter on customer rights, a consumer activist said. “The RBI could have learnt from insurance regulator IRDA (Insurance Regulatory and Development…