Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07NEWDELHI3907
2007-08-27 12:54:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy New Delhi
Cable title:  

NEW DELHI ESTH OFFICE HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE WEEK OF August 20

Tags:  SENV TSPL TBIO ECON SOCI KSCA IN 
pdf how-to read a cable
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RR RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB RUEHPOD
DE RUEHNE #3907/01 2391254
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 271254Z AUG 07
FM AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7835
INFO RUEHCI/AMCONSUL KOLKATA 0726
RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI 1287
RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI 0423
RUEHKP/AMCONSUL KARACHI 8093
RUEHLH/AMCONSUL LAHORE 4108
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 003907 

SIPDIS

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 20
- 24, 2007

NEW DELHI 00003907 001.4 OF 002


UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 003907

SIPDIS

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 20
- 24, 2007

NEW DELHI 00003907 001.4 OF 002



1. Summary: This week the ESTH office met with representatives of
the Wildlife Protection Society of India regarding a wildlife crime
workshop; met with the Nature Publishing Group to discuss the launch
of a web portal dedicated to Indian science; and noted the Delhi
government's push to implement CNG for public transportation in the
National Capital Region; funding agreements between the World Bank
and the GOI on child and reproductive health, tuberculosis, and
delivery of health services; and a proposal to include Hepatitis B
vaccination under the National Immunization Program as well as the
Indian recipients of both the Rotary Polio Eradication Champion
Award and the UN Grand Award. End Summary.

--------------
ENVIRONMENT
--------------


2. SciOff and SciFSN along with Public Affairs met with the
Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) to finalize the budget
for the upcoming Wildlife Crime Workshop to be held in Ranthambore
National Park November 4-6. The WPSI grant proposal was also
finalized and is currently being reviewed by Public Affairs.

--------------
SCIENCE
--------------


3. SciOff and SciFSN met with Jaishree Srinivasan of Nature
Publishing Group (NPG) to discuss a web portal set to be launched by
NPG bringing together current information on Indian science
including reporting on the latest research as well as recommended
scientific papers. The pre-release mock-up of the portal looks very
good and we expect it to be very useful to anyone interested in
Indian science. The portal is expected to go live in mid-October.

--------------
TECHNOLOGY
--------------


4. Addressing a National Capital Region Planning Board meeting,

Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit pressed neighboring states to
follow New Delhi's lead by mandating CNG in all public
transportation within the NCR. She also urged the neighboring
states to collaborate on infrastructure improvements based on a
public-private participation model in waste disposal, power
generation, water management, and transport.

--------------
HEALTH
--------------


5. Rotary International has conferred this year's Polio Eradication
Champion Award on India's Union Minister for Health & Family
Welfare, Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss. The award was given in recognition
of Dr. Ramadoss' efforts in providing support to polio eradication
programs in India. Past recipients of the award include former
President Clinton, former UK Prime Ministers John Major and Tony
Blair, and former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.


6. The GOI proposes to include hepatitis B vaccination under the
National Immunization Program. This is expected to reduce chronic
hepatitis B infections by an estimated 1.5 million and deaths due to
hepatitis B by 200,000. According to the GOI, the country would
need approximately 100 million doses to vaccinate all infants which
are well within India's capacity of 516 million doses per annum.


7. The GOI has signed three credit agreements with the World Bank
which will provide financial assistance of USD 671.83 million to

NEW DELHI 00003907 002.4 OF 002


three health sector projects - the Reproductive and Child Health
Project Phase-II (RCH-II; USD 360 million),the Second National
Tuberculosis Control Project (TB-II; USD 170 million) and the
Karnataka Health System Development and Reform Project (USD 141.83
million). The RCH-II project aims to reduce total fertility rate,
infant mortality rate and the maternal mortality ratio nationwide.
The TB-II project will implement the existing DOTS (Directly
Observed Treatment, Short-course) strategy as well as scale up
state-level intermediate referral laboratories and obtain greater
participation from NGOs and the private sector. The objective of
the Karnataka Health System Development and Reform Project is to
increase utilization of essential curative and public health
services, particularly in underserved areas and among vulnerable
groups.


8. An Indian public awareness campaign designed to encourage the
use of condoms with the slogan "Condom Bindaas Bol" ("Say Condoms
Freely") has won this year's UN Grand Award - a public relations
award jointly sponsored by the UN Department of Public Information
and the International Public Relations Association. The campaign,
designed to overturn a decline in condom use in eight states in
northern India, involved the joint efforts of PSP-One, a USAID
project, and the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.


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