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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 001434 
 
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 TSPA ECPS SCUL EAGR IN
SUBJECT: NEW DELHI EST OFFICE HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE WEEK OF JULY 6 TO 
JULY 10, 2009. 
 
¶1. Below is a compilation of environment, science, and technology 
highlights from Embassy New Delhi for the week of July 06-July 10, 
2009, including the following: 
 
-- A Plan for Cheetah Reintroduction? 
-- Insurgency Takes a Toll on Wildlife 
-- Forest Fires in Jammu and Kashmir 
-- India Increases Budget for Education and Space 
-- Indian Defense and Police to Get Dedicated Networks 
 
------------ 
ENVIRONMENT 
------------ 
 
A Plan for Cheetah Reintroduction? 
 
¶2.  Responding to questions raised in Parliament, Mr. Jairam Ramesh, 
Minister of State, Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF,) 
stated that the cheetah is the only mammal which has become extinct 
in India in the past 1000 years, and that India will meet with World 
Conservation Union (IUCN) specialists in September 2009 to discuss 
reintroduction options.  After talks with Iran to relocate two 
cheetahs to India failed because the Gujarat state government 
refused to part with two wild Asiatic lions, the MOEF has turned to 
Namibian cheetahs as a possibility.  However the Namibian cheetah is 
a different subspecies than the Asiatic cheetah originally found in 
India, and scientists warn that proper genetic and feasibility 
studies are required before any attempts to relocate them to 
Rajasthan.  Scientists from the Wildlife Institute of India also 
pointed out that both tigers and the Asiatic lion are already in a 
critical state in India and India needs to be sure that it can 
protect the animals before it makes any attempts at relocation. 
 
Insurgency Takes a Toll on Wildlife 
 
¶3.  As per media reports, the Orissa government continues to 
struggle to protect endangered wildlife from Maoists in the Simlipal 
Tiger Reserve (STR).  Following the March 2009 Maoist attack in STR, 
forest officials vacated their posts only to return after two police 
special strike force units were deployed in the park - although 
forest officials claim they are still not enough to secure the 
reserve.  Forest officials claim the Maoists are supporting 
poachers, and that future Maoist strikes will lead to increased 
poaching activity in STR. 
 
Forest Fires in Jammu and Kashmir 
 
¶4.  Since April 2009, the Jammu and Kashmir forest department has 
reported nearly 600 forest fires that have damaged almost 2200 
hectares of pine forest.  The department's fire fighting operations 
are hindered by the presence of landmines in the border regions and 
a lack of funds - the department was allocated only USD $10,200 of 
its projected annual requirement of USD $280,000 to protect 12,000 
square kilometers of forest.  The full impact of the fire on 
wildlife populations has not yet been determined. 
 
-------------------- 
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 
-------------------- 
 
India Increases Budget for Education and Space 
 
¶5.  The annual budget announced on 6 July 2009 provided INR 445.28 
billion (USD 9.3 billion) for the Ministry of Human Resources 
Development (MHRD) - nearly 20 percent higher than last year. 
Higher education gets a lion's share of this budget, over 36 
 
NEW DELHI 00001434  002 OF 002 
 
 
percent, to augment research facilities in existing institutions, 
establish new technical institutes and universities, enhance 
internet connectivity, establish a new scholarship scheme to cover 2 
percent of all students starting college education every year, and 
provide interest free loans for economically disadvantaged students. 
 This stimulus is aimed at doubling enrollment in higher education 
from 12 percent to 24 percent by 2020.  The MHRD also plans to 
introduce a foreign universities bill in the parliament to enable 
international institutes of repute to establish campuses in India. 
 
 
¶6.  The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) received a 40 
percent budget increase over last year, with an overall allocation 
of INR 49.59 billion (USD 1.03 billion.)  The bulk of this funding 
is for research in cryogenic engines, space capsule recovery, the 
polar satellite launch vehicle, the geosynchronous satellite launch 
vehicle (GSLV), and a manned moon mission.  Dr. Madhavan Nair, 
Chairman of ISRO, told the press that India would test its upgraded 
GSLV Mark 3 by early 2011 and launch the Chandrayaan - II moon 
mission in 2013.  In 2010, ISRO plans to launch "Youthsat" to carry 
out aerospace experiments planned by students from Indian and 
Russian universities.  ISRO hopes to enhance its revenue by more 
than 25 percent this year through its satellite services by 
Direct-To-Home television and telecom services, and its commercial 
satellite launch activities. 
 
Indian Defense and Police to Get Dedicated Networks 
 
¶7.  The Department of Telecom and the Ministry of Defense signed an 
MOU under which the armed forces will get a dedicated optical fiber 
network in exchange for releasing 45 MHz of spectrum for commercial 
telecommunication services.  The optical fiber network is expected 
to cost INR 99.7 billion (USD 2.08 billion).  The Indian police are 
also enhancing their network connectivity under the Crime and 
Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) project, expected to 
cost INR 20.0 billion (USD 417 million).  The CCTNS is intended to 
connect all police stations, relevant government offices, the 
National Crime Records Bureau, passport offices, and immigration 
counters to a single network. 
 
BURLEIGH