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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 NEW DELHI 001657 
 
SENSITIVE 
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 JULY 27 TO AUGUST 07, 
¶2009. 
 
¶1. (U) Below is a compilation of environment, science, and 
technology highlights from Embassy New Delhi for July 27 to August 
07, 2009, including the following: 
 
-- Environment Minister Opposes Mining Project 
 
-- Arunachal Pradesh Civil Rights Group Opposes Hydro Power 
Projects 
-- National Disaster Management Authority Publishes Chemical 
Terrorism Guidelines 
-- GM Tomatoes, Brinjal and Cauliflower Coming to the Indian Market 
-- Billion Dollar National Solar Mission Making Slow Progress 
-- Department of Telecom Opens Up 13.56 MHz for RFID 
-- Insiders Report on Troubles with Chandryaan-I 
 
------------ 
ENVIRONMENT 
------------ 
 
Environment Minister Opposes Mining Project 
 
¶2.  (U) In a major morale booster for conservationists opposing the 
proposed Adani coal mining project in Lohara, located near the 
Tadoba Andheri Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Maharashtra, Union Minister 
of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh made a public 
statement that no mining activity will be allowed near the tiger 
reserve.  Minister Ramesh gave the assurance to Maharashtra forest 
department officials attending a two-day meeting of field directors 
from 37 tiger reserves in India on July 25 and 26.  Ramesh has used 
this issue to demonstrate the Ministry of Environment Forests will 
no longer be a rubber stamp for development projects. 
 
Arunachal Pradesh Civil Rights Group Opposes Hydro Power Projects 
 
¶3.  (U) Arunachal Citizens Right (ACR), a local civil rights group, 
has raised concerns regarding environmental and cultural damage 
likely to result from proposed hydroelectric projects in the state. 
According to a right-to-information reply to ACR, the state 
government plans to build 135 hydropower plants, ranging from 
micro-hydro to mega-dams, which would provide 57,000 MW of 
electricity.  The state is home to numerous small indigenous 
(tribal) communities whose rights have historically been protected 
via constitutional and legal mechanisms including entry restrictions 
for non-indigenous peoples.  In addition to environmental concerns, 
ACR claims local communities believe the influx of the 
400,000-500,000 out of state workers needed to build the 135 dams 
will damage the demographic and socio-cultural fabric of the state. 
 
 
-------------------- 
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 
-------------------- 
 
National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Publishes Chemical 
Terrorism Guidelines 
 
¶4.  (U) NDMA, India's national planning body for natural and manmade 
disasters, has released guidelines for management of chemical 
terrorism incidents.  The guidelines (available at www.ndma.gov.in) 
provide background, procedures and protocols for use by designated 
agencies to prevent a potential attack, as well as methods for 
detection, protection against, and decontamination of chemical 
agents.  NDMA has been among the most proactive organizations in 
India to address the issue of chemical, biological, and radiological 
(CBR) terrorism, and has been pushing Central and State governments 
and agencies to take CBR terrorism seriously.  NDMA has specifically 
 
NEW DELHI 00001657  002 OF 003 
 
¶2009. 
 
focused not only on response to disasters, but on prevention and 
mitigation efforts as well.  While the guidelines provide solid 
advice, it remains to be seen whether the national ministries and 
state governments will overcome the policy and resource constraints 
needed to implement them. 
 
GM Tomatoes, Brinjal and Cauliflower Coming to the Indian Market 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Minister of State for Agriculture K. V. Thomas formally 
stated during a parliament question hour session that genetically 
modified (GM) tomatoes, brinjal (eggplant) and cauliflower would be 
in the Indian market within three years.  The Indian Council for 
Agriculture Research and the Department of Biotechnology have 
approved the three transgenic crops in the first step of a process 
which will require further field trials under clearances of the 
Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) and the Review 
Committee on Genetic Manipulation.  In the same session, Minister 
for Environment and Forest Jairam Ramesh added the GEAC has also 
cleared for generation of biosafety data plants including rice, 
okra, potato, groundnuts, corn, cabbage, mustard and sorghum. 
Scientists from the Hyderabad-based DNA synthesis company Bioserve 
told ESTOFF they were in the process of developing kits for 
identification of GM crops including brinjal and coffee in 
anticipation of the regulatory approvals. 
 
Billion Dollar National Solar Mission Making Slow Progress 
 
¶6.  (U) The National Solar Mission, part of the National Action Plan 
on Climate Change, while eight months overdue, made progress on 
August 3 during a meeting of the council on climate change called by 
Prime Minister Singh.  The committee agreed, with conditions, to the 
ambitious 20.8 billion USD proposal to generate 20,000 MW from solar 
energy sources by 2020.  The review committee suggested fine tuning 
the regulatory frame work, enhancing the research and development 
component for related technologies, and ensuring provisions for 
participation in the program by developed countries with well 
defined rules for capital investment and technology transfer.  The 
technology focus has also shifted from solar photovoltaic to 
collected solar thermal.  The final plan is expected to be released 
within two to three months. 
 
Department of Telecom Opens Up 13.56 MHz for RFID 
 
¶7.  (U) Newspapers have reported that the Department of Telecom has 
announced it will join the U.S., Europe and Japan in opening up the 
13.56 MHz frequency band, on a non-interference, no protection, and 
non-exclusive basis, to enable Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) 
technology development.  This is expected to lead to new 
applications and reduced costs in diverse domains including 
logistics, security, health care, education, libraries, animal and 
other asset tracking, waste management, and environmental 
monitoring. 
 
Insiders Report on Troubles with Chandryaan-I 
 
¶8.  (SBU) An ESTOFF contact familiar with the Chandryaan-I mission 
stated the problems troubling the orbiter, including loss of power 
units and an electronic bus management unit, and damage to its star 
sensor, was due to the failure of ISRO to conduct effective 
environmental testing on the components before launch.  The contact 
also stated ISRO had been warned several times early in the mission 
about overheating and its consequences, but was more concerned with 
surpassing the Japanese in detailed imagery than in proper 
monitoring of instrument conditions which led to several of the 
failures.  Despite the failures, Chandryaan I is expected to 
continue collecting data at an altitude of 200 Km for the next two 
 
NEW DELHI 00001657  003 OF 003 
 
¶2009. 
 
years, and is generally considered a success within India. 
According to a statement made by ISRO Chairman Nair, one of the key 
lessons learned is the need for better radiation hardened devices. 
Further conclusions are expected to be drawn after a review 
committee meeting expected to be held in November. 
 
ROEMER