Telecom and IT Minister Kapil Sibal has indicated that the government would like to make the world’s cheapest tablet more affordable and offer the Aakash 2 tablet to consumers at Rs 1500. Addressing a function, Sibal said that he would like to see this tablet in the hands of each and every student in the country.
Currently, the government is procuring the tablet from its maker, Datawind, at a cost of Rs 2,263 per tablet and selling it to students at a subsidized rate of Rs 1,130 per tablet. Sibal also stressed on the need to develop expertise in making cutting-edge technology more affordable and accessible and would like the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) to work on realizing this. He also mentioned that C-DAC should work on developing technology that can help ensure the safety of women.
Kapil Sibal also talked about the need for India to scale up its technological skills and become self-reliant in this regard, especially in the area of super-computers. He wished to see C-DAC and India providing technological solutions to countries globally.
