Govt for providing Aakash at Rs1,500
Sibal also asks C-DAC to work towards providing cheap, effective technological options for the security of women
New Delhi: Government is keen to take Aakash tablet to the people at a cost of Rs1,500 apiece, Telecom and IT minister Kapil Sibal said on Tuesday.
“I asked Rajat Moona (director general,C-DAC) to help us in Aakash. Let us take that Aakash to the people of this country for a sum of Rs1,500. Each student must have a Aakash in his/her hand so that they can see the world with it," Sibal said at a function in New Delhi.
At present, the government purchases the device from Datawind, the maker of Aakash tablet PC, at ₹ 2,263 apiece. The government will distribute the tablet to students at subsidised rate of ₹ ,130 apiece.
Sibal said that there is need to gain expertise in providing cutting-edge technology at affordable prices to people, and the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) should work towards developing such technologies.
The minister also said that C-DAC should work in the direction of providing cheap and effective technological options for the security of women.
“Recently, we had this very very unfortunate event in Delhi and I called Rajat and said I want a technological solution of the safety of girls and women in our country.
“I want a wrist watch, which will video graph, which will set up an alarm, which will call up dedicated lines. Lets have a GPS system and lets produce this for less than ₹ 1,000 for the citizens of our country for their safety," Sibal said.
He added that the country needs to scale up its technology skills and attain self-reliance.
“As we look into the 21st century, we realise that there are several areas where we need to be self-reliant. Super computing is of exceptional importance one such area. I see C-DAC as a technology leader in the world. India should provide technological solutions to the world," he said.
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