Cisco readies plan to set up manufacturing plant in India

LAS VEGAS: Technology major Cisco is working on a plan to establish a manufacturing facility in India and is in talks with the government for the same, a top official of the company has said.

Terming India as one of its "best bases", Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins said the company is "very actively involved in India across the board" and working on a broader base from digitisation to smart cities in the country.

He was interacting with reporters at the Cisco Live 2016 annual conference here.

On expansion plans in India, Robbins said, "... Prime Minister Narendra Modi is very committed to manufacturing. We worked through a business case and... presented to him that... That was fantastic and we have been moving forward."

He added that the company is moving forward on various healthcare and security initiatives, with a lot happening on the digital cities front.

Cisco is engaged in over 15 smart cities projects in the country. The company is also working with Andhra Pradesh government for rolling out Bharat Net.

The company views India as one of the best bases and is focusing a lot on education as well, Robbins added.

The country is home to Cisco's second-largest site, which has about 11,000 employees. It is offering education to 24,000 students spread across 47 schools.