India’s Minister for Human Resource Development, Mr. Kapil Sibal, on 22nd of July, 2010, unveiled a breakthrough achievement in the form of a low cost access-cum-computing device that would cost as little as $35 or about Rs 1,500.
Making this groundbreaking announcement, Sibal said, “The sun will rise for the young students of the country in the year 2011, when the device would begin to be delivered to students.”
Addressing a press conference, Sibal said that the device was a result of the ministry’s efforts following the “lukewarm response” generated among corporate houses regarding bringing down the cost of a computer, which, he said was a necessity in the fast-paced world of education nowadays. He said what the computer manufacturers of India and the world could not do was achieved by the ministry as a result of efforts by a group of experts, including faculty and students, from the premier institutions of the country. Sibal specifically mentioned the Indian Institute of Science & Indian Institute of Technology.
Students of technology courses at the graduate and post-graduate levels at these institutes were also roped in to produce the motherboard for this low-cost device, which incorporates enough flexibility to allow for the replacement of components.
The ministry now aims to customize the device in line with requirements of the learners all over the country as well as making use of the device’s capabilities for processing data. For now, the ministry, which looks after the departments of school and higher education in the country, wants to make the device available at $35 to the students of government schools, colleges and universities all over India. The cost of the device would be subsidized, with the government paying half of the price of each computer.
Sibal said the ministry is looking for further collaborations with interested investors in the field so as to make the device available to people other than students. But before that, Sibal mentioned, the ministry was keen to engage more experts groups and institutions into further research and development to further bring down the cost of this device to $20 and, eventually $10.
Read more at http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7019361970?Indian+Ministry+Unveils+%2435+Laptop#ixzz0uUZljKld
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