IIT Rajasthan to Lose Aakash Deal

Bangalore: The future tendering and procurement of the improved version of the world's cheapest tablet PC, Aakash will be taken away from IIT Rajasthan and will be handed over to public sector undertakings. The decision comes in the wake of a row between IIT-Rajasthan and the tablet's current maker Datawind, over the issue of enhanced specification demands.

A government official involved with the billion-dollar fund for National Mission for Education through Information and Communication Technology, under the Ministry of HRD said, "We have realized that educational institutes are not capable of handling tenders as it involves large sums of money and handling vendors. Public sector undertakings are much better equipped to handle it," reported The Economic Times.

The drafting of specifications and features of Aakash 2 tablets has been handed over to the Department of IT, Ministry of Communications and IT. According to sources, PSUs such as ITI or Telecommunications Consultants India (TCIL) might be considered for procurement of Aakash 2 tablets. It is noted that the new tender for Aakash 2 is likely to be of over one million units and would be divided between two to three vendors.