India has offered to the third-world nations, supply of vaccines and diagnostic kits to combat diseases like hepatitis, leprosy, tuberculosis, cholera and malaria, affecting millions of people. Diagnostic kits for a number of diseases including HIV/AIDS are also to be provided to the developing and under-developed countries by India.

Addressing the plenary of the general conference of the Third World Academy of Sciences here, the Minister for Science and Technology Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi also offered technology transfer relating to these for commercialisation in these nations. Dr. Joshi told that India is prepared to facilitate setting up of joint projects in the desiring countries.

Dr. Joshi said India could help them in developing and modifying their traditional knowledge and grassroot technologies to suit their requirements. The representatives from these nations wanted Dr. Joshi to supply them a directory of information relating to technologies developed by India and the mode of cooperation. They expressed unawareness about many of the technologies evolved and commercialised by India. The Minister pointed out that India could provide cost-effective technologies and products comparable with the best standards. For instance, an HIV diagnostic kit would cost anywhere between 10 to 20 times in the United States than in India, he averred.

A Delhi declaration issued at the end of the general conference underscored Dr. Joshi's suggestion to the third-world to enhance their investment in research and development as well as set up in-house R&D facilities. They agreed with Dr. Joshi that without enhancing the level of R&D, not much could be achieved. The declaration hailed India's advances in a large number of areas of frontier science and noted with satisfaction that India stands for south-south cooperation and balanced and equitable growth of the poor nations. The declaration also commended India for emerging as the largest nation to provide cost-effective, standard education to foreign students from the developing world. It observed that the conference successfully concluded with a direction, a vision and a commitment for the developing world and the future of mankind.