Indian Government Launches Tablet Worth $35

Indian IT market is all set for a boom. It is not just Apple that is launching iPads but even the Indian government is joined the bandwagon. India recently launched an access-cum-computing device which is prove to be pretty handy for researches and learners. This is planed to be available via educational institutions by 2011.

“The price of the device is expected to be around $35 (Rs. 1,500), gradually dropping down to $20 and ultimately $10 per piece,” Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal said, while unveiling the device here.

“This is real, tangible and we will take it forward,” he said. India, he said, had demonstrated to the world that a cheaper device could be made, when prices were ruling high. These computers will be accessible to 20 crore children across the country and the total cost is expected to be approximately Rs. 10,000 crore, including a 50 per cent subsidy component.

This is the brain child of professors and students from IIT Kharagpur, IIT Madras, IIT Kanpur, IISc Bangalore, VIT Vellore, IIT Bombay and the HRD Ministry. However, while the technology is available, the Ministry is yet to work out the modalities of distribution, as this would require connectivity and involve transportation costs.

Initially nobody would have invested in a such technology when it was being backed up by the Indian Government but with the preview of what the government has come up with this is surely going to attract enough attention of corporates.

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