VZCZCXRO5593
RR RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB RUEHPOD
DE RUEHNE #3810/01 2331057
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 211057Z AUG 07
FM AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7710
INFO RUEHCI/AMCONSUL KOLKATA 0695
RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI 1242
RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI 0383
RUEHKP/AMCONSUL KARACHI 8084
RUEHLH/AMCONSUL LAHORE 4100
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
RUEHRC/USDA FAS WASHDC
RUEAEPA/EPA WASHDC
RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 003810 
 
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 13 
- 17, 2007 
 
NEW DELHI 00003810  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  (U) Summary:  This week the ESTH office met with a filmmaker to 
discuss a proposal for a television series on climate change, with 
FICCI to discuss the planning of the upcoming "Innovation - 
Advantage India" conference, and also noted Japanese investment in a 
new IIT to be located in Bihar, a ruling of the Madras High Court 
impacting pharmaceuticals, a potential drug shortage in Manipur, and 
localized outbreaks of Hepatitis E, Indian tick typhus, and Japanese 
Encephalitis.  End Summary. 
 
------------ 
ENVIRONMENT 
------------ 
 
¶2.  (SBU) SciOff and SciFSN met with filmmaker Nila Madhab Panda, 
director of "Climate's First Orphans," a film funded by the British 
High Commission, regarding a proposal for a 52 episode fictional 
television show targeted towards climate change awareness.  Panda 
has won awards for similar work on the topic of female feticide. 
SciOff questioned how Panda planned to adapt climate change to a 
milieu best structured to social issues and unfortunately his 
response was somewhat vague.  He also didn't seem to have a strong 
understanding of the differences between local environmental issues 
and the effects of Global Climate Change (GCC).  However, Panda is 
clearly a talented director and we are considering partnering him 
with the Centre for Science and Environment to document 
unprecedented climatic phenomena believed to be associated with GCC 
such as the 2005 Mumbai rain event. 
 
-------- 
SCIENCE 
-------- 
 
¶3.  (U) SciCouns has learned from his India Institutes of Technology 
(IIT) contacts that Japan will provide technical and funding support 
for a new IIT to be located on the outskirts of Patna, the capital 
of Bihar.  According to local contacts, the new IIT will be a topic 
of discussion during the visit of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe 
August 21.  In addition, local media report Japan is also 
collaborating in the re-opening of the ancient Indian University at 
Nalanda in the state. 
 
---------- 
TECHNOLOGY 
---------- 
 
¶4.  (U) While the debate on the 123 Agreement continues on the 
political front, there is a different crisis brewing at India's 
nuclear power plants.  As reported in the Indian Express, the 
country's nuclear plants are running low on fuel due to delays in 
mining operations at the Jaduguda uranium mine in Jharkhand.  This 
shortage is impacting the performance of the Nuclear Power 
Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) which has reportedly been 
forced to cut power production by 30%.  NPCIL Director Jain was 
quoted as stating the fuel shortage resulted in a loss of 
approximately $200M in potential revenue. 
 
¶5.  (U) SciCouns met with Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce 
and Industry (FICCI) representatives to discuss the planning of the 
"Innovation - Advantage India" conference on December, 5-6, 2007. 
S&T Minister Sibal has invited Dr. John Marburger, Science Advisor 
to the President to address this conference. Dr. Marburger was 
planning to attend the FICCI sponsored "Mind to Market" meeting in 
December, 2006 but was unable to do so for personal reasons. 
Minister Sibal is also planning a visit to the United States, 
tentative dates are September 13-18, and is expected to meet with 
Dr. Marbuger on September 17. 
 
NEW DELHI 00003810  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
 
------- 
HEALTH 
------- 
 
¶6.  (U) After months of delay, the Madras High Court dismissed a 
petition filed by the Swiss pharmaceutical firm Novartis that 
challenged section 3d of the newly framed Indian Patent Act (IPA) 
claiming it violated article 27 of the Trade Related Aspects of 
Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement.  Section 3d of the 
IPA prohibits patenting modifications to an existing drug unless the 
modified drug is significantly more effective than the originally 
patented product.  Novartis had sought patent protection for a new 
version of its leukemia drug Gleevec, known in India as Glivec.  The 
court concluded it lacked jurisdiction and directed Novartis to take 
up the issue with the WTO Dispute Settlement Body. 
 
¶7.  (U) Local media report an acute drug shortage is likely in 
Manipur with over 90% of the pharmaceutical companies not sending 
fresh stocks of medicines to the state due to monetary demands from 
insurgent organizations.  Though the companies have refused these 
illegal demands, they have also ceased drug supply to the state. 
 
¶8.  (U) The health authorities have confirmed an outbreak of 
hepatitis E in Ishber and Harwan areas of the state of Jammu and 
Kashmir. According to reports, 400 people with clinical jaundice 
were found during a survey conducted in the affected areas. This 
outbreak is believed to reflect a deficiency in the public water 
supply. 
 
¶9.  (U) The virologists at the Indian Council of Medical Research 
(ICMR) suspect that the dengue virus isolated from the recent 
hemorrhagic case in Kolkata (West Bengal) has changed its genetic 
arrangement to counteract the existing antibody.  To confirm this, 
the ICMR scientists have decided to study the genetic sequence of 
the isolated virus. 
 
¶10.  (U) The mysterious fever outbreak in Kangra district of 
Himachal Pradesh has turned out to be Indian tick typhus caused by 
Rickettsia conorii, according to the initial report of samples sent 
to National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), Delhi.  This 
is the first time this disease has been reported in the state. 
 
¶11.  (U) During the past month, an outbreak of Japanese Encephalitis 
has been reported in Sivasagar, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Lakhimpur and 
Dhemaji districts of Assam.  According to media sources, about 160 
deaths have been reported in these districts, with Sivasagar in 
upper Assam being hit the hardest. 
 
 
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