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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 NEW DELHI 001379 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR OES/PCI, OES/STC, OES/SAT, OES/EGC, AND SCA/INS 
STATE FOR STAS 
DOE FOR INTERNATIONAL 
INTERIOR FOR FWS RILEY 
STATE PASS TO NSF FOR INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KSCA KGHG SENV TSPL TBIO ENRG ECON SOCI IN
SUBJECT: NEW DELHI EST OFFICE HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE WEEK OF JUNE 29 TO 
JULY 02, 2009 
 
¶1. Below is a compilation of environment, science, and technology 
highlights from Embassy New Delhi for the week of June 29-July 2, 
2009, including the following: 
 
-- World Bank: Don't Require Deep Emission Cuts from India 
-- India Against International Climate Change Monitoring, Carbon 
Tax 
-- New Guidelines for Tiger Relocation 
-- Fighting Poachers with Surveillance Aircraft 
-- Conflicts of Interest at the MOEF 
-- Lockheed Martin Awards for Innovative Indian Technology 
-- Discussing the Future of IITs 
-- A National Smart Card Identification System 
 
------------ 
ENVIRONMENT 
------------ 
 
World Bank: Don't Require Deep Emission Cuts from India 
 
¶2.  World Bank (EB) officials in India, discussing their yet to be 
released study "Low Carbon Growth in India", endorsed India's stance 
that it should not be required to undertake deep emissions cuts. 
Charles Cormier, World Bank India Team Leader for Environment and 
Water Resources, said that given existing technology and resource 
constraints, India's eleventh five year plan seemed to be an 
efficient low-carbon growth plan if implemented effectively. 
However, Cormier noted that India has been found lacking in past 
plan implementation.  Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF) 
Joint Secretary R.R. Rashmi was quick to point out that the report 
reaffirmed that India's growth path is sustainable, and also 
stressed that developed countries must lead the way in emission 
reductions and provide financial and technical assistance for 
adaptation and mitigation. ESTOff was not able to obtain a copy of 
the draft report, which Cormier said will be finalized and ready for 
public distribution in September. 
 
India Against International Climate Change Monitoring, Carbon Tax 
 
¶3.  Mr. Jairam Ramesh, Minister of MOEF, told reporters at a press 
conference that India's national action plan on climate change will 
not be subject international scrutiny or monitoring, and that India 
would under no circumstances undertake any commitment for quantified 
reduction of greenhouse gases.  He referred to the climate change 
bill passed in the US House of Representatives, and its clause to 
penalize imports from countries like India which do not undertake 
emission cuts, as "pernicious."  Ramesh thanked President Barack 
Obama for asking the Senate to vote against the clause. 
 
New Guidelines for Tiger Relocation 
 
¶4.  The Rajasthan Forest Department is facing media flak for its 
failure to conduct DNA analysis before relocating in June-July 2008 
three tigers - a male and two females - to Sariska Tiger Reserve. 
The tigers turned out to be siblings, raising fears of potential 
inbreeding and instigating MOEF to revisit its tiger relocation 
policies.  MOEF has approved a blueprint for tiger relocation 
prepared by MOEF's National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and 
experts from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) based on 
international guidelines.  Under the new protocol, guidelines will 
be binding on every state, tiger relocations will be monitored by 
WII experts and forest department officials, and the NTCA will have 
the power to monitor the entire process. 
 
Fighting Poachers with Surveillance Aircraft 
 
¶5.  Referring to Corbett National Park (CNP) as the Taj Mahal of 
 
NEW DELHI 00001379  002 OF 003 
 
 
National parks, Jairam Ramesh approved a USD 1.8 million 
Comprehensive Security Plan, including motion sensors and 
micro-light aircraft, to be implemented at CNP over the next six 
years.  In the 2008 budget, then Finance Minister Mr. P. Chidambaram 
initiated a one time allocation of USD $10 million to set up a 
Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF) to patrol and protect tiger 
reserves.  CNP is expected to have about 110 STPF members.  Ramesh 
has suggested that 181 local tribal families be moved out of CNP and 
accommodated in the STPF as a means of employment and to reduce 
their dependence on forest resources.  In a bid to reduce both 
poaching and strain on park resources, Ramesh suggested extending 
similar security programs to other parks and is also preparing a 
plan to relocate the nearly 100,000 families that currently inhabit 
tiger reserves across the country. 
 
Conflicts of Interest at the MOEF 
 
¶6.  Jairam Ramesh has taken note of NGO demands for transparency 
amid complaints that several people serving on MOEF regulatory 
boards are also employees of companies whose projects the boards 
review, presenting serious conflicts of interest.  One of the most 
blatant cases involves Mr. P. Abhraham, former Secretary Ministry of 
Power, who chairs MOEF's Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) on river 
valley and hydro projects.  Abhraham also serves on the board of six 
power companies whose projects have been reviewed since he began his 
tenure as chair of the EAC.  The situation is similar at the MOEF's 
EAC on mines and coal-based power plants, and at the National 
Biodiversity Authority. 
 
-------------------- 
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 
-------------------- 
 
Lockheed Martin Awards for Innovative Indian Technology 
 
¶7.  Lockheed Martin recognized 15 Indian entrepreneurs for their 
innovative technologies, and provided them with a unique opportunity 
to commercialize those technologies and bring them to market.  The 
"Lockheed Martin India Innovation Growth Program" is funded 
primarily by Lockheed Martin and managed in conjunction with India's 
Department of Science and Technology, the Federation of the Indian 
Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Innovation, Creativity & 
Capital (IC2) Institute at the University of Texas, and the Indo-US 
S&T Forum.  The 15 winners will receive from Lockheed and IC2, at no 
cost to them, professional business development assistance as well 
as access to markets worldwide for their technologies.  The winning 
technologies included a 4G wireless chip, nanotechnology-enabled 
medical and agricultural devices, electronics recycling 
capabilities, and a process for direct biodiesel generation from 
algae. 
 
Discussing the Future of IITs 
 
¶8.  ESTOff attended a day-long workshop in which Mr. Kapil Sibal, 
Minister in Ministry of Human Resources Development (MHRD) and 
previous Minister of Science and Technology, spoke about efforts to 
develop strategies and vision for the Indian Institutes of 
Technology (IITs).  He said that while India was proud of the their 
achievements the IITs needed to focus more on interdisciplinary 
research, improve their masters and PhD programs, and carry out high 
quality research that meets international standards, matches the 
nation's needs, and leads to growth in the economy.  The workshop 
highlighted familiar issues to the rapidly expanding IIT system, 
including difficulties with academic planning, maintaining 
standards, shortage of faculty, resource sharing, development of 
infrastructure, and enhancement of research output.  The workshop 
was attended by 12 of the 14 IIT directors, as well as staff from 
 
NEW DELHI 00001379  003 OF 003 
 
 
the National Institute of Technology, Indian Institute of 
Information Technology, professors of IIT Delhi, and MHRD advisors. 
 
A National Smart Card Identification System 
 
¶9.  The GOI announced plans to establish under the Planning 
Commission the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) led 
by Mr. Nandan Nilekani.  The UIDAI will be responsible for providing 
smart card-based identification to all Indians.  In addition to 
using the smart-cards for security and population counts, the GOI 
also hopes they will prevent pilferage and ensure prompt and fair 
delivery of assistance programs such as rural employment, publically 
distributed food supplies, and health care.  The project is expected 
to cost about INR 1,500 billion (USD 31.5 billion), and 
technological challenges in creating tamper-proof smart cards 
capable of handling Indian conditions are expected.  According to 
press reports, the GOI may exclude private companies from 
participating due to the large amount of confidential information 
involved in the program.  The public sector company Bharat 
Electronics Limited has already issued over 120,000 smart cards 
under a GOI pilot project to establish a multipurpose national 
identity card, and is likely to be one of the key players. 
 
KAESTNER