CAG slams HRD ministry over Aakash tablet project
07 Sep 2013
The human resource development (HRD) ministry has been slammed by the CAG over it lax management of the Aakash tablet project.
The CAG questioned the decision of the ministry to award the project to the 'new and ill-equipped' IIT Rajasthan (IITR). The CAG report also slammed IITR for incurring 'unfruitful expenditure' in the project, according to the report, PTI reported.
Observing that the ministry failed to exercise "due diligence in the implementation of the project", according to the report 'arbitrary' selection of IITR was the reason why "the delivery schedule of tablets was adversely affected".
The ministry also came in for criticism for not carrying out a feasibility study before undertaking the project. The CAG said, while established IITs like IIT Kanpur, Bombay, Madras, Kharagpur had participated in preliminary discussions on the project, they were overlooked and instead "IITR, which was relatively a new IIT, was selected". It added, there was no justification for the selection of IIT-R over other more established IITs.
While the Kapil Sibal-led HRD ministry had initially awarded the project to IITR, it was eventually transferred to IIT Bombay following differences between IITR and the tablet manufacturers, Datawind.
Pulling up IITR for "unfruitful expenditure" of over Rs 1 crore, it pointed out that PCs and tablets worth Rs20.67 lakh procured by the institute had not been transferred to IIT Bombay.
The report added that the ministry had released Rs 47.72 crore to IITR in an imprudent and hasty manner between October 2010 and March 2011.
The report tabled in parliament, also pointed out that IITR had told the ministry that around 90 per cent of the tablets supplied by Datawind between August and November 2011 were rejected by it due to complaints in the devices over heating and their slow operation.
"The Ministry decided to launch the Aakash through the IITR without ascertaining their capacity to undertake the work. This adversely affected the project delivery. It also placed Rs 47.42 crore at IITR disposal without carrying out a prudent assessment," the report said.
"This raises issues of financial propriety. This adversely affected the project delivery along with an avoidable expenditure of Rs 1.05 crore," PTI said.
Under the Akash tablet project, the government planned to distribute the low-cost access-cum-computing device (Akash) at a cost of Rs1,500 or $35 to students and teachers for educational purposes.
According to the CAG, IITR was awarded the project even when it was operating from temporary premises.
