NEW DELHI WEEKLY ECON OFFICE HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE WEEK OF

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 NEW DELHI 000262 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS USDOC FOR ITA/MAC/OSA/LDROKER/ASTERN/KRUDD DEPT OF ENERGY FOR A/S KHARBERT, TCUTLER, CZAMUDA, RLUHAR DEPT PASS TO USTR CLILIENFELD/AADLER DEPT PASS TO TREASURY FOR OFFICE OF SOUTH ASIA ABAUKOL TREASURY PASS TO FRB SAN FRANCISCO/TERESA CURRAN STATE FOR SCA/INS AND EB/TRA JEFFREY HORWITZ AND TOM ENGLE USDA PASS FAS/OCRA/RADLER/BEAN/CARVER/RIKER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAGR EFIN EINV EPET ETRD SENV IN SUBJECT: NEW DELHI WEEKLY ECON OFFICE HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE WEEK OF JANUARY 21-25, 2008 NEW DELHI 00000262 001.2 OF 003 ¶1. (U) Below is a compilation of Economic highlights from Embassy New Delhi for the week of January 21-25, 2008. LITTLE PROGRESS WITH EU/Indian FTA -------------- ¶2. (SBU) EC Trade Counselor Bermejo Acosta told Econ Counselor that progress on EU/Indian FTA negotiations remains slow. On trade in goods talks, EU negotiating teams have been waiting since mid-November, 2007 for India's list of which items will be tariff-exempt (both sides agreed in advance of negotiations that at least 90 percent of goods from each side will be exempted from tariffs, to be reduced over a period of no longer than seven years). Likewise, on services, where the Indian offer was to be based on its WTO services offer, the Commerce Ministry has not provided specific details and is stalling on the legal services track. In contrast to its request to the USG to negotiate a bilateral agreement on government procurement, the GOI cites domestic political pressures as reason for resisting EU demands for procurement negotiations. The lack of progress in submitting proposals has made it impossible for the EC to schedule the next round of negotiations, which is supposed to include EU Trade Commissioner Mandelson and GOI Commerce Minister Nath. Bermejo Acosta also said that the EU/India Summit, normally scheduled for November, will be moved to late July at the request of the French, who will hold the EU Presidency the second half of 2008. U.S. SUPPORTS IMPLEMENTATION OF MODERN AIR TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS IN INDIA -------------- ¶3. (U) Safe and more efficient air traffic management in India is the goal of a $ 503, 252 U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) grant awarded on January 24, 2008 to the Airports Authority of India (AAI). At present, India's air traffic management system relies on ground-based navigation aids, such as mountain-top VHF omni-ranging transmitters, to guide aircraft. The agreement will be used to develop a plan for technology upgrades that will enable AAI to make key aviation infrastructure improvements that are necessary as India's aviation sector continues its rapid growth. Successful implementation of expected recommendations are conservatively estimated to result in U.S. exports of modern Communications, Navigation, and Surveillance Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) systems valued at about $ 300 million. INDIA ENTERS THE LOW-ORBIT SATELLITE LAUNCH MARKET -------------- ¶4. (SBU) The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully launched an Israeli reconnaissance satellite on January 21. An ISRO official told Consulate Chennai that the launch demonstrated the reliability of Indian launch vehicles and that some European and Asian nations have already approached India, asking ISRO to put satellites in orbit for them. Another ISRO official told us that ISRO's next launch would be in mid-February, when it will put Cartosat 2A -- an Indian reconnaissance satellite -- into orbit. HYDERABAD DRAWS AEROSPACE INTEREST -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Machine Tools Aids and Reconditioning (MTAR),an Indian manufacturer of precision tools in which the private equity firm Blackstone holds a 30 percent stake, plans to establish an aerospace park in Hyderabad. The chairman of MTAR chairman told Consulate Chennai that the 250-acre park will attract a cluster of small and medium enterprises specializing in manufacturing components for the growing Indian aerospace industry. Hyderabad will also attract aerospace attention this fall when it hosts "India Aviation 2008," an air show along the lines of Bangalore's famous quadrennial NEW DELHI 00000262 002.2 OF 003 defense air show. Hyderabad's event, based at its new airport opening in March, will showcase the civilian side of the market. ANTHRAX CASES IN ANDHRA PRADESH -------------- ¶6. (SBU) A top local official in the Chittoor district of southern Andhra Pradesh (140 km from Chennai),confirmed to Consulate Chennai that that five people in the district were infected with cutaneous anthrax. All five had assisted in the skinning of two sheep, from which they contracted the disease. The infected were treated with penicillin and are recovering. The official said that the government has put a surveillance system in place to monitor anthrax outbreaks. There is no suggestion that this was anything other than animal husbandry gone awry. SHARP RISE IN NUMBER OF PATENTS GRANTED -------------- ¶7. (U) According to business daily The Mint, India's four patent offices have granted 10,132 patents in the first three quarters of the Indian fiscal year (April to March). At an average of roughly 50 a day, this represents a continuation of the rapid growth in patents issued from the 2005-2006 fiscal year (4,320 patents) to the 2006-2007 fiscal year (7,500). The number of patent applications has risen as well over the past three years, though more slowly, but the sharp increase in approvals is reportedly due to the continued clearing of the backlog of mailbox applications that grew leading up to the amendment of the Patent Act in 2005. MICROSOFT GIVES 33 STUDENTS IPR SCHOLARSHIPS -------------- ¶8. (U) At a function on Monday, Microsoft India awarded 33 scholarships for the study of intellectual property rights (IPR) to law students from 11 universities across the country. Microsoft India Managing Director Neelam Dhawan noted that the software industry loses an estimated 72 percent of its revenue in India to piracy and said that Microsoft wanted to "create a sustainable IPR ecosystem" to help combat such piracy. The scholarship program began in 2006 with the award of scholarships to students from Nalsar University of Law in Hyderabad and has since grown. Each of this year's 33 awardees will receive 80,000 rupees (USD 2,051). FICCI SHARES USG CONCERNS ABOUT COMPETITION ACT -------------- ¶9. (SBU) On January 24, Deputy EconCouns met with FICCI representatives to discuss USG concerns about the September 2007 merger and acquisition (M&A) provisions to the Competition Act. In response to most concerns, FICCI representatives noted that they are working with the GOI to address issues of threshold and notification through regulations. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has posted draft regulations on the internet and is encouraging industry chambers, the private sector, and others to comment and provide feedback (visit http://www.competition-commission-india.nic.i n/, click on regulations and review final listing of draft regulations). When asked if FICCI along with other industry chambers is also proposing draft legislative amendments to roll back some of new competition law amendments, officials responded that the chambers are "simultaneously" pursuing both regulations (i.e. draft proposals and comments to the CCI produced version) and legislative amendments. FICCI representatives are hopeful that most of the industry's concerns as well as those expressed by foreign governments may be remedied through the regulations. TIME IS ON OUR SIDE -------------- NEW DELHI 00000262 003.2 OF 003 ¶10. (SBU) FICCI officials expect that it will take about another year to sort out the regulations for the Competition Act. They expect that the CCI will officially come into effect in the next six to seven months, or possibly as early as May. After which, it will take the body some time to deliberate over the regulations to the September 2007 Competition Act amendments. FICCI agreed that, over the medium-term, lack of capacity by CCI will persist and rapid institution building will have to be i priority. Both sides agreed to explore US technical assistance to CCI. TOWARDS INDIA'S DEVELOPMENT, KM BY KM -------------- ¶11. (U) Road development projects in India offer enormous opportunities for private players this year. More than 30 projects, requiring an investment of over USD 7.5 billion, are to be awarded by the National Highway Authorities of India (NHAI) in 2008. In addition, there are major opportunities at the state level. The GOI is planning to offer roadside land development rights to developers, making it more attractive for investors in this segment. According to road sector experts, following construction, there will also be vast opportunities in maintenance and re-engineering. EASING LAND ACQUISITION BARRIERS -------------- ¶12. (U) The GOI Cabinet has approved changes to existing laws to make it easier for the government to acquire land for special projects to allow for speedy development. For example, there are provisions in place to ensure that land being acquired will get transferred to the developer, even if the title holders to the land dispute the claim in court. ENCOURAGING PRIVATE EQUITY IN ROAD SECTOR -------------- ¶13. (U) Private equity fund flows in the road sector are estimated to be in excess of USD 2 billion. Key private equity players such as 3i, ICICI Venture, IFDC, and Blackstone are reportedly planning to either directly partner with developers by jointly bidding for projects or acquire stakes in road construction firms. According to media reports, Indiabulls, Edelweiss, Tata Realty, and Goldman Sachs have also started looking into road projects and are in talks with various developers. The recent increase in private equity fund flows is a result of the government's decision to allow private equity players in road projects at the time of bidding. NHDP - ONE LONG HIGHWAY -------------- ¶14. (U) The National Highway Development Project (NHDP),the largest ever highways initiative, which began in December 2000 and is divided into seven phases, aims to improve and strengthen 50,000 km of national highways. The NHDP is tentatively scheduled for completion in 2015. From 2005-2015, the project will require an investment of USD 55.6 billion. At present, the NHDP is being implemented in 4 phases - I, II, IIIA, and V. Phase I, II, and IIIA set out to improve more than 25,785 km of arterial routes of the National Highway Network to conform to international standards. NHDP Phase I and II are expected to be completed in December 2008, whereas NHDP Phase IIIA is scheduled for completion in December ¶2009. ¶18. (U) Visit New Delhi's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov/p/sa/newdelhi MULFORD