(Marketwire) - Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) today announced the handover of the next batch of houses to the Government of Karnataka in a ceremony held in Bichali village of Raichur District. The handover of these 1200 houses signifies the completion of a majority of the housing and rehabilitation work undertaken by Cisco as part of Project Samudaya in five villages of flood-affected Raichur District. During the ceremony, Wim Elfrink, chief globalisation officer and executive vice president for the Emerging Solutions Group, Cisco, handed over the keys to Shri D.V. Sadananda Gowda, chief minister of Karnataka. Aravind Sitaraman, president, inclusive growth, Cisco and executive sponsor for the project, was also present at the occasion.

Cisco also inaugurated a newly constructed Primary Healthcare Centre at Gillesugur. This PHC uses Cisco HealthPresence solution to provide remote healthcare to patients in the area by connecting them to doctors and specialists located at Raichur Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), the district hospital in Raichur. The 8,000 sq-feet area PHC, constructed according to government requirements, has in-patient facilities for male and female patients and a minor operation theatre. Cisco uses technology to enable access to healthcare, improve the quality of care and establish a platform to address the shortage of resident medical personnel, one of the most pressing healthcare issues faced by the rural community in countries like India. Chief Minister Shri. D.V. Sadananda Gowda inaugurated this PHC at a function held earlier in the day at Gillesugur.

Highlights

• Project Samudaya exemplifies a successful Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model between a progressive government and a visionary organization that has transformed five flood-affected villages into a connected and sustainable community enabled through technology.
• This project is a showcase of Cisco's network innovation helping solve challenges faced by the rural communities while creating new opportunities for growth. This is just the beginning of what is possible in a sustainable community with technology as an enabler. Project Samudaya has been about coming together and building a better community and Cisco has accomplished this vision with intelligent network that is changing markets, economies, countries, lives, and the world.
• Project Samudaya is a corporate social responsibility (CSR) effort that stemmed from Cisco's $10m contribution to help the Government of Karnataka in its relief efforts when devastating floods hit Karnataka in 2009.
• As part of Project Samudaya, Cisco undertook construction of houses in five villages -- Khataknur, N. Malkapur, Chikkamanchal, Talmari and Bichali, along with two schools and one primary healthcare centre.
• All houses that have been handed over conform to government specifications and guidelines. While today, Cisco handed over houses in Bichali and Talmari, homes in Khataknur, N. Malkapur and Chikkamanchal in Raichur district were delivered in the earlier phases of Project Samudaya. The two schools in Bichali and Talmari, currently under construction, are expected to be handed over to the state government in the month of February/March.
• Project Samudaya used the network as a platform to provide remote education through Cisco Education Enabled Development (CEED) platform while Cisco's HealthPresence technology solution enabled remote healthcare and specialist consultations. The success of these pilots demonstrate the role of technology in transforming the lives of people and communities in remote rural areas.
• Cisco has collaborated with Children's Lovecastles Trust for remote education training and content, and with RxDx, a multispeciality hospital to provide healthcare services remotely. These services have accelerated access to affordable, high-quality education and healthcare. Through the CEED platform, four schools and over 500 students receive supplementary education in English, Mathematics, Science and Social Sciences.
• In addition, Cisco has set up computer labs in 11 schools and provisioned solar power systems to provide uninterrupted power supply to the 110 computers it has donated. With the use of Cisco(R) HealthPresence, over 1000 patients from these villages have received treatment in specialty areas such as gynaecology, cardiology, and orthopedics in the last year.

Supporting quotes:
D.V. Sadananda Gowda, Chief Minister of Karnataka, "Cisco has shown us what a public private partnership can collaboratively achieve. I am happy to see such commitment from a corporation. Our partnership with Cisco towards rehabilitation efforts in the flood-hit regions of Karnataka has helped provide the people in this region, a more empowered future. Not satisfied with building homes for the people, Cisco is using technology to provide the population access to healthcare and education. It has shown that we can build empowered rural communities. I would like to acknowledge this remarkable achievement."

Wim Elfrink, chief globalisation officer and executive vice president for the emerging solutions group, Cisco, "Giving back is a core value of Cisco, and we are proud to be part of the rehabilitation and rebuilding efforts in Raichur. Over the last two years Project Samudaya has made tremendous progress and through this remarkable private public partnership, we have been able to contribute to the healthcare and education transformation in Raichur. Through the tireless efforts of Cisco volunteers and our belief in the transformational role of the network, Project Samudaya is a testament to Cisco's vision of changing the way we work, live, play and learn."

Aravind Sitaraman Samudaya, president, inclusive growth, Cisco and executive sponsor for project Samudaya, "Project Samudaya is a great example of how employee volunteerism, technology, and public-private partnership can help rehabilitate, rebuild, and enable a disaster-affected community to succeed in the modern world. We have demonstrated how technology can be used in a public-private partnership with a progressive government to convert a moment of tragedy to a platform for development. Using the power of the network, we can easily scale and replicate this model across India and the globe."

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