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"Government Plans To Dump Aakash"
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Satish Jha, head of One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) India Foundation, told EFYTimes, "Yes, I have heard that Aakash is being dumped from some of my highly-placed sources."
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Friday, January 13, 2012:
If sources are to be believed, the much-talked about device Aakash may be dumped by the Government of India. Credible sources from the ministry Of human resource development (HRD) tell that there are contract issues which have started acting as a barrier in the journey of Aakash in the country. Considering the delays in the delivery of the device, the ministry sources believe that it will be difficult for the company to supply the promised units to the Government.
Satish Jha, head of One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) India Foundation, told EFYTimes in an exclusive interview that he has been hearing this news for the last few days from his well-placed sources with the Government of India. Jha said, “Yes, I have heard of it from some of my highly-placed sources with the Government of India. In fact, I have been telling the minister and others involved in the project that their decision to go ahead with the project was a bad one.”
According to an India Today report, there are all possibilities that the Union HRD ministry may not extend the letter of credit (LC) to the makers of world's cheapest tablet Aakash, as a lot of faults have been traced in the device. However, Suneet Singh Tuli, chief executive officer, Datawind, denied of any such possibility saying, "There is no indication that the project will be shelved." We also tried to approach N K Sinha, additional secretary, Technology Enabled Sevices, for his version on the story but he could not be reached.
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The tablet manufactured by Montreal-based Datawind is priced cheaply at Rs 2,250 but has still received flak from buyers and users alike, owing to its poor tech specs and performance. The tablet was manufactured specifically for students with the aim of bridging the 'digital divide' between the rich and the poor, states an India Today report. However, now the government is planning to dump the faulty device.
Initially, the HRD ministry had placed an order of one lakh Aakash tablets and received 30,000 tablets as part of the pilot project. However, the feedback of the device was not good at all and below par. Reportedly, DataWind refused to upgrade the remaining 70,000 tablets of the second lot as it required more funds for that. However, the company now plans to complete the remaining order with an upgraded version of Aakash, which will be available at the original price tag of Rs 2,250. There are also reports that the HRD ministry is looking for other vendors for selling the 70,000 upgraded units of Aakash. Even IIT-Rajasthan, the tendering authority of the project, has not come out with the new testing standards of the tablet.
Adding to the speculations, Jha told us that the government is exploring possibilities of not extending LC, which lapses by the end of this month. He said, “I think MHRD should not have gone for something like Aakash for two reasons. First, the best technology in PC is available in America and the cheapest components are available in China. So a tablet PC can be imagined only if America and China come together. Hence, there is no way to make a cheap and good device without America and China coming together." He added, "This is the reason for disbelief in the product. People who have tested the device are shocked with the government's invested to invest in the project. In principle, I also support the desire to make cheaper computers. But it should be able to deliver what it has promised. It's just not about creating a device but about education of the students in India. If you ask a wrong question, you get a wrong answer. India asked a wrong question of making a good computing device at $35 and it got a wrong answer in terms of Aakash.”
Jha said that it's not possible to create a meaningful computer in less that $300. Anything less than that is a mere compromise.
Aakash tablet that was initially given to students runs a basic Android 2.2 Froyo version. It has a 366 MHz processor and a 17.8-cm (7-inch) resistive touchscreen. It is said to have a battery back up of three hours. The next version of Aakash is said to have an improved 766 MHz processor with an improved battery life.
Diksha P Gupta, EFYTIMES News Network
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