Embassy New Delhi, India and Constituent Posts - OIG - US ...

SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED
The Foreign Commercial Service in Mumbai, assisted by the political-economic section,
developed a plan to set up a U.S.-India importers’ council that will provide advice and guidance
to Indian small- and medium-sized importers and first-time importers. The council includes firms
that represent around 50 U.S. companies and facilitates U.S. exports worth approximately $110
million. Mission staff is working with the council on a membership drive. Other consulates
general and the embassy are considering whether to replicate the councils in their districts.
Reporting
Mission India produces good-quality reporting that is germane to U.S. interests, with
commentary that puts subjects in their larger contexts. Reporting officers and LE staff from the
embassy and consulates general travel within their consular districts several times per year to
report on political, business, and economic developments.
India presents a rich reporting environment. The country has unsettled borders with two
nuclear-armed neighbors. Terrorist and armed separatist groups operate in several regions. A
federal structure gives states important authorities, and regional issues affect the central
government’s room to maneuver. India has a vigorous multiparty democracy and a lively press
and civil society. The country’s growing demand for energy affects its foreign interests, and
Indian companies are important suppliers of information technology and pharmaceuticals. Weak
rule of law, communal tensions, and traditional practices are conducive to trafficking in persons
and a challenge to respect for human rights and religious freedom.
Political reporting from the embassy is keyed to a wide-ranging bilateral agenda and is
balanced among external affairs (including Iran, Afghanistan, China, Pakistan, and
nonproliferation), bilateral issues (deliverables for the President’s visit, defense sales, and export
controls), and internal issues (Kashmir, cabinet shuffles, and trafficking in persons). Reporting
on opportunities and constraints for Indo-Pakistan relations is of great relevance to U.S. interests
in regional stability.
Economic reporting from the embassy is weighted toward trade, energy, and science and
technology issues. Reporting on India’s regional trade agreements and reluctance to address
issues necessary to meet U.S. standards for a free trade agreement has been especially useful to
Washington. The Treasury attaché, consulate general in Mumbai, and embassy economic section
contribute to coverage of macroeconomic and financial issues.
A sluggish clearance and approval process in the economic section has adversely affected
the timeliness and quantity of its reporting. Some potential reporting is not done because of
anticipated delays, and many reports are submitted by working emails instead of cable. This
situation has also had a negative effect on morale.
Informal Recommendation 5: Embassy New Delhi should require that the economic
section take further measures to expedite the drafting and clearing process, including
setting deadlines for clearance and approval of cables and record emails and monitoring
compliance.
Reporting from the consulates general is thematic, multisourced, and of good quality.
Consulate General Kolkata’s report on an armed insurgency near the Burmese border ties
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SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED