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NEW DELHI: The human resource development ministry will soon float a
Cabinet note to get a sanction for procuring 50 lakh Aakash tablets,
that will be distributed among college students by this year end, a
project which may cost over 110 crore.
HRD minister Kapil Sibal showcased the Aakash-2 tablet on Thursday before the media, which comes with a faster processor and a capacitive touchscreen. The procurement price of the tablets would be capped at 2,276, the same at which government procured the Aakash version 1.0 tablets.
"We are planning to float a tender for Aakash-2 tablets in the next two months. The tender will be for about 50 lakh tablets. The tender will be handled by C-DoT and ITI," said Sibal addressing the media. "Existing vendor Datawind will have to supply the rest of the 1,00,000 tablets in its present contract. It can also bid for the next tender," he added.
According to sources, a Cabinet note is being prepared to get the money sanctioned from the finance ministry, as the 4,000-crore five-year fund of National Mission for Education expires by this fiscal.
"We will grant the contract to more vendors this time, as a capacity of 50 lakh can't be met by a single vendor. But price will be capped at a maximum of 2,276 per unit. Eventually we want to distribute 220 crore tablets," NK Sinha, Additional Secretary at HRD ministry said.
Only about 500 tablets have been distributed so far, Sinha added. "There were problems with battery life. So, we have improved upon the specifications in new version," he added.
The government is aiming at distributing 50 lakh tablets by this year end. "Since there is limited supply, we are encouraging colleges to distribute them as books issued via libraries," Sinha added.
Datawind, the firm supplying Aakash-1 tablets, issued a statement saying it has been vindicated from speculation that it would not be allowed in Aakash-2 project.
The minister also unveiled the HRD ministry's ambitious project of Virtual Labs, which aims to provide simulated lectures and study material from IITs on technical subjects online. The website Vlabs.co.in will also provide online simulation of complex lab experiments. Students can book a slot on Vlabs online, to conduct simulated experiments which require high computing power.
HRD minister Kapil Sibal showcased the Aakash-2 tablet on Thursday before the media, which comes with a faster processor and a capacitive touchscreen. The procurement price of the tablets would be capped at 2,276, the same at which government procured the Aakash version 1.0 tablets.
"We are planning to float a tender for Aakash-2 tablets in the next two months. The tender will be for about 50 lakh tablets. The tender will be handled by C-DoT and ITI," said Sibal addressing the media. "Existing vendor Datawind will have to supply the rest of the 1,00,000 tablets in its present contract. It can also bid for the next tender," he added.
According to sources, a Cabinet note is being prepared to get the money sanctioned from the finance ministry, as the 4,000-crore five-year fund of National Mission for Education expires by this fiscal.
"We will grant the contract to more vendors this time, as a capacity of 50 lakh can't be met by a single vendor. But price will be capped at a maximum of 2,276 per unit. Eventually we want to distribute 220 crore tablets," NK Sinha, Additional Secretary at HRD ministry said.
Only about 500 tablets have been distributed so far, Sinha added. "There were problems with battery life. So, we have improved upon the specifications in new version," he added.
The government is aiming at distributing 50 lakh tablets by this year end. "Since there is limited supply, we are encouraging colleges to distribute them as books issued via libraries," Sinha added.
Datawind, the firm supplying Aakash-1 tablets, issued a statement saying it has been vindicated from speculation that it would not be allowed in Aakash-2 project.
The minister also unveiled the HRD ministry's ambitious project of Virtual Labs, which aims to provide simulated lectures and study material from IITs on technical subjects online. The website Vlabs.co.in will also provide online simulation of complex lab experiments. Students can book a slot on Vlabs online, to conduct simulated experiments which require high computing power.
Source:timesof india
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