VZCZCXRO9425
RR RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB RUEHPOD
DE RUEHNE #3676/01 2260802
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 140802Z AUG 07
FM AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7502
INFO RUEHCI/AMCONSUL KOLKATA 0639
RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI 1159
RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI 0318
RUEHKP/AMCONSUL KARACHI 8051
RUEHLH/AMCONSUL LAHORE 4087
RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHDC
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC
RUEHC/DEPT OF INTERIOR WASHDC
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHDC
RUCPDC/NOAA WASHINGTON DC//NMFS//
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC
RUEAEPA/EPA WASHDC
RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 003676 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR OES/PCI, OES/STC, OES/SAT, OES/EGC, AND SCA/INS 
STATE FOR STAS 
DOE FOR INTERNATIONAL 
HHS FOR OGHA STEIGER, HICKEY AND VALDEZ 
NIH FOR GLASS AND MAMPILLY 
FDA FOR LUMPKIN AND WELSCH 
CDC FOR BLOUNT AND FARRELL 
INTERIOR FOR FWS RILEY 
STATE PASS TO NSF FOR INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV TSPL TBIO ECON SOCI KSCA IN
SUBJECT:  NEW DELHI ESTH OFFICE HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE WEEK OF August 6 
- 11, 2007 
 
REF A:  New Delhi 3603 
REF B:  New Delhi 3668 
REF C:  New Delhi 3594 
 
NEW DELHI 00003676  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
 
¶1.  (U) Summary:  This week the ESTH office coordinated a climate 
change event for CODEL Lieberman, hosted STAFFDEL Killion, also in 
New Delhi on climate change, attended a workshop on creating a 
Global Environmental Entity, attended the IIT New Delhi Convocation, 
noted Battelle's intention to enter the Indian R&D scene and a 
Chikungunya outbreak in Kolkata, and also reported on methods to 
improve clean technology transfer.  End Summary. 
 
------------ 
ENVIRONMENT 
------------ 
 
¶2.  (U) India: Removing Clean Technology Barriers.  The ESTH Office 
reported in Ref A on methods that could be used in India to raise 
awareness of climate change in order to create incentives for clean 
technology. 
 
¶3.  (U) SciOff served on a panel at a workshop on creating a Global 
Environmental Entity hosted by the Jawaharlal Nehru University, 
Centre for International Legal Studies.  The discussion centered on 
whether the UN Environmental Program (UNEP) should be elevated to 
the status of a special organization pursuant to the French proposal 
to create a UN Environmental Organization (UNEO) with regulatory 
control over world environmental issues.  France, China, Canada, 
India, and the EU were represented on the panel.  SciOff delivered 
the U.S. position in favor of strengthening the UNEP but against the 
creation of a UNEO and despite an impassioned speech by the French 
Science Counselor in favor of a UNEO, Indian participants including 
professors, government officials, and students sided with the U.S. 
position. 
 
¶4.  (U) SciCouns and SciFSN coordinated and attended a meeting on 
global climate change between Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) and 
the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), an international energy 
and environment research organization.  The details of the meeting 
can be found in Ref B. 
 
-------- 
SCIENCE 
-------- 
 
¶5.  (U) SciCouns attended the IIT Delhi Annual Convocation on August 
11 where Mr. Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, 
delivered the convocation address.  The ceremony was presided over 
by Professor Ramamurthy, Chairperson, Board of Governors and former 
Secretary, Department of S&T.  Mr. Ahluwalia challenged the 
 
SIPDIS 
graduating class to develop innovative and affordable solutions to 
the problems of water supply, environment, and clean energy and 
looked forward to a larger presence of IIT alumni in the parliament. 
 Ramamurthy emphasized the role of interdisciplinary research and 
lamented the fact that India is facing a critical shortage of 
qualified faculty, stating that it is a "disaster in the making" and 
that something needs to be done on "a war footing."  This shortage 
has a direct bearing on teaching as well as research at the 
technical institutions in India and echoes the concerns expressed by 
Professor Balaram of the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore 
(Ref C). 
 
¶6.  (U) At the IIT Delhi Convocation, SciCouns also learned there is 
more news regarding the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) as 
well as the Indian Institutes of Management (IIM).  In addition to 
 
NEW DELHI 00003676  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
the three new campuses approved in the states of Bihar, Andhra 
Pradesh and Rajasthan, the Planning Commission has proposed a 
seven-year (2007-2014) special plan which includes setting up five 
additional IITs and seven new IIMs.  The annual Times (UK) Higher 
Education rankings placed IITs at 57 and IIMs at 68 among the 
world's top 200 universities.  IITs placed third (after MIT and UC 
Berkeley) in the list of top technical universities.  Apart from the 
IITs, there is also a plan to break ground for five new Indian 
Institutes of Science, Education and Research (IISER), bringing the 
total number of IISERs to eight counting the three already 
established in Kolkata, Pune and Chandigarh. 
 
----------- 
TECHNOLOGY 
----------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) The Battelle Board of Directors approved the formation of 
Battelle-India on August 9, 2007.  Battelle is a global S&T 
enterprise that develops and commercializes technologies and manages 
national laboratories. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Battelle is 
organized along 3 business lines:  S&T International (focus on 
energy and environment, health and life sciences, national security, 
and transportation and space), Laboratory Operations (management of 
5 DOE national Labs), and Commercial Ventures.  Battelle has a staff 
of 20,000 and an annual budget of $3.7B.  The R&D Center in India 
will complement its activities in the U.S., Europe (which is slated 
to be closed) and Asia.  The company has identified Chennai, 
Hyderabad, Pune, Cochin and Trivandrum as potential locations. 
SciCouns has been working closely with Battelle representatives in 
this regar and has hosted 2 visits in December, 2006 and June, 
¶2007.  Contrary to earlier reports, establishment of Battelle-India 
will be strictly a venture of its S&T International Division and is 
not/not related to its Laboratory Operations. 
 
------- 
HEALTH 
------- 
 
¶8.  (U) After taking a toll in Kerala, Chikungunya infection has now 
struck Kolkata in West Bengal.  The mosquito-borne disease has 
resurfaced in the city after a period of more than four decades. 
According to local media reports, over 750 people in Habra have 
reported to government health centers with high fever, skin rashes 
and severe joint pains.  Researchers at InQ Council of Medical 
Research (ICMR) have confirmed that blood samples obtained from 
different parts of the city (central Kolkata and Beliaghata area) 
have tested positive for Chikungunya infection. 
 
WHITE