Aakash Android Tablet - World's Cheapest Tablet is Finally Launched

[Abarbarian]

I think this is amazing news. Not just the item itself and its price but also because of the way the whole project was handled.

http://www.techdrivein.com/2011/10/indias-35-tablet-aakash-launched-runs.html

World’s cheapest tablet PC 'Aakash'(means "sky" in Hindi) is finally launched. It will be given to students after subsidising the price by up to 50 per cent, India's Human Resources Development Minister Kapil Sibal said while unveiling the device in New Delhi.

Compare the way the Indians went about this and the way our governments handle similar situations.

http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=76476

IIT Rajasthan followed an open tender process. A three-step process was followed to evaluate the bids that were received. First, a committee scanned all bids to check their eligibility based on the conditions specified in the tender. Eligible bids were then evaluated by a technical evaluation committee comprising of eminent academics and industry experts. Bids that were found technically suitable were then evaluated by a financial evaluation committee which then declared the lowest bidder. Following set government norms, a further negotiation was then held with the lowest bidder and a further discount obtained from them

It needs to be mentioned that this price does not include any subsidy from the Government and is a price that has been arrived at following a commercial tender process. The Government will also be providing price subsidy to the students on the price indicated in the earlier paragraph. The device will be distributed to students through the institutions at which they are studying.

MHRD invites collaboration, ideas and inventions from the community of academics and experts and inventors to achieve the cherished goals.

Content Creation

The National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NME-ICT) has proposed 18 different line items for content creation. All content that is created under this Mission needs to meet the following criteria:



· It should be related to education delivery.

· It should involve faculty from different institutions

· All IP (Intellectual Property) created under projects funded by this Mission will vest with MHRD

· All content should be created using open-source software.

· All content created under this Mission is for open access by all and cannot be charged for in any way

The National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NME-ICT) was launched by the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development, in February 2009 with a budget of Rs 4612 crore. The National Mission on Education comprises of 48 different components structured broadly around building CONTENT, enabling ACCESS and developing LOW COST ACCESS cum COMPUTING DEVICES.

Open source, software to be free, hardnosed dealing to obtain the very best price for the procurer, me thinks these folk could teach our politicians a thing or two.