Government to diversify production base of Aakash tablet: Sibal
07 Feb 2012
The low-cost Aakash tablet PC will be made completely indigenous and its production base diversified, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal said yesterday.
"We are now going to diversify production base and indigenise Aakash tablet. We are planning to create eco-system for end to end development of Aakash in India. This will create enormous opportunities for R&D institutions, developers, electronic production houses," he said at a function in Bangalore.
He said the IITs and the ITIs were onboard on the development of the device that is now with only a few students.
According to the HRD ministry it would require an additional 22 crore units of Aakash for which fresh tenders would be issued to involve other companies in addition to the present manufacturer Datawind.
The device is currently available to students at a price of Rs1,100 with government subsidy.
Asked if the next tender would incorporate a 'made in India' clause in it, Sibal said, the government wanted to make sure it was ultimately 100-per cent locally made.
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