Hewlett-Packard Company (NYSE:HWP) and the state government of Andhra Pradesh in southern India announced a three-year alliance to build an HP i-Community in the area of Kuppam.

The alliance is intended to accelerate socio-economic development in the rural area by using information and communication technology to increase income opportunities and access to new markets. The HP i-Community project is part of HP's broader initiative, e-Inclusion, which is aimed at extending the company's business focus to traditionally underserved markets.

The HP i-Community project in Kuppam seeks to build leadership and IT capabilities within the community and to establish a sustainable and replicable model for economic growth. Key private and public sector partners and the Kuppam community also will collaborate on the landmark project to ensure the active inclusion of all community elements, while protecting individual and community privacy.

The commercial, social and consumer services the HP i-Community project expects to provide include:

-e-government services for land records, birth and death registration and bill payments;
-connectivity to local schools, colleges and hospitals;
-youth educational services and vocational training through direct and distance learning;
-health and agriculture services.

"This alliance will accelerate our mission to reap the immense opportunities of the information age," said Chandrababu Naidu, chief minister, Andhra Pradesh. "We hope to replicate the HP i-Community project across several districts in Andhra Pradesh." Naidu is a key proponent in India for using technology and a people-centered approach to modernizing rural communities. Comprising four villages with a total population of 320,000, Kuppam has been at the forefront of Andhra Pradesh's drive for technology-based development and is the pilot site for education, agricultural, health care and telecommunications projects.

Under the alliance, the Government of Andhra Pradesh will help establish the necessary IT infrastructure in Kuppam and will make Kuppam a priority for information and communication technology investments. HP will work with the community to develop scalable, replicable and self-sustaining IT solutions and will lead in establishing teamwork among the participating parties.

"The Government of Andhra Pradesh and HP share the conviction that the benefits of technology multiply when government, business and community combine for accountable leadership in shaping lives and marketplaces," said Debra Dunn, vice president, HP Strategy and Corporate Operations. "The HP i-Community in Kuppam is part of HP's business focus on developing sustainable solutions for the world's underserved markets."

As part of HP's e-Inclusion initiative, HP Labs, the company's central research facility, has established a center in India dedicated to creating economically sustainable technologies and products. The results are intended to be widely useful, practical solutions developed through understanding India's social, economic and technological environment.

This week HP Labs India sponsored a major technology symposium, "Invent for Everyone," at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore and will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open its joint research and development lab with IIT Madras.

About HP

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