Indian government to review specs of Aakash 4: Reports
The government may propose new specifications for the Aakash tablet as vendors were unable to meet the desired specifications.
The Indian government is planning to review the technical specifications of the Aakash 4 tablet. According to reports, the Department of Electronics and IT (DEITY) told a Parliamentary committee that vendors couldn't meet specifications desired as per the tender such as 3G modem, Java support etc.
“HRD ministry started this project. The initial mistake that was committed by us was that we fixed the price and asked the manufacturers to supply the product on this fixed price. If we could have decided the specifications and then asked the manufacturers to supply the product the that could be the better arrangement,” DEITY Secretary informed the Standing Committee on Information Technology.
The official revealed that the government is now planning to review technical specifications of the Aakash 4.
The Aakash 4 tablet project was initiated by ex telecom minister Kapil Sibal with an objective to bridge the digital divide in the country. The Aakash tablet, however, was marred with controversies, right from the price point, manufacturing and availability. The project was completed after DataWind shipped the first and second versions of the device for Rs 2,276 and Rs 2,263 per unit.