DIT to handle tender process for upgraded Aakash roll-out

Deeply troubled, and almost in a dilemma over deciding the course of path the upgraded version of the Aakash tablet would take, especially with the IIT-Rajasthan and Datawind disagreeing on major grounds, the HRD Ministry took some bold steps. Reports have it that not only has the HRD Ministry given the contract of procuring and developing the tablet to the IIT, but also has decided that the tender proceedings for the roll-out of the upgraded Aakash tablet will be overseen by the Department of Information Technology (DIT). It was revealed earlier that the government will be inviting other companies to join in the manufacturing process, since the order at hand is large, almost 22 crore units. This is not to say that Datawind is out of the picture. Reportedly, Datawind's Letter of Credit has received an extension till March by the government. Datawind had also won the contract under which it would manufacture some 1,00,000 units of the Aakash tablet, and currently it is working on that. 

Bringing in more makers 

Datawind and IIT-Rajasthan haven't shared the best of relationships. The two entities had major differences over the specifications of the tablets. In our earlier reports, we reported how Datawind envisioned making Aakash, the tablet for the layman, with basic specifications, while IIT-Rajasthan had 'military-style' specifications in mind, which would have made Aakash a water-proof tablet. Datawind even refused to put Aakash through these test criterias. 

The Aakash tablet has been in the limelight ever since talks about it first began surfacing, but the tablet has been plagued by controversies, and criticism. Several users who received the tablet complained of a less than satisfactory experience. But, with the impending launch of the upgraded version of the tablet, users can expect these things to change for the better. 

To know more about the Aakash tablet, click here.