Govt. to make Aakash cheaper, more Indian

Following a meeting chaired by HRD Minister Kapil Sibal, the Government has agreed on plans to involve IIT Kanpur, IIT Madras and IIT Mumbai in building the Aakash tablet.

Currently, IIT Rajasthan is handling the tablet’s research and development. The addition of the other two IIT firms will hopefully help lower the price of the device.

The reason behind the IITs’ involvement is the Indian Government’s desire to make Aakash indigenous and thus even cheaper than it currently is.

According to the Economic Times, as of now, a number of the tablet’s components are outsourced. The Government plans to make Aakash 90% Indian. 

Along with the IITs, the Department of Information Technology will be responsible for rolling out the next generation of Aakash tablets. It will also handle the fresh tenders that will be allotted to companies besides DataWind for the manufacture of the gadgets. 

The Government is hoping that the IITs will be able to fix the bugs found in the original Aakash tablet and build a new, flawless machine within the next 2 years. It is also hopeful that it will be able to further reduce the price of the tablet which is currently available to students for Rs. 1,100/-

Aakash was made with the aim to bridge the technological divide in the nation by bringing IT to every student at an affordable price. The Government is hoping to fulfill its goal by building an additional 22 crore units of the tablet for distribution across the country.