Laptop’s priced between Rs.500-1,000 to hit Indian market
A novel version of the
laptop, built by India 's premier science and technology institutes and to
be priced between Rs.500-1,000 (approx. $10-20), was showcased Tuesday in
Tirupati town.
The low-cost device, developed jointly by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT ),
Chennai, and Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore , for the human resource development (HRD) ministry,
is aimed at bridging the digital divide and making access to computer literacy
affordable to the masses.
Demonstrating the laptop in presence of HRD Minister Arjun Singh and experts in theVenkateshwara University campus, Education Joint Secretary S.K. Sinha said the
low-power consuming gadget would hit the market in the next six months.
“The device, which is smaller than the normal laptop in size and weight, still needs fine-tuning. With 2GB (gigabit) memory and wireless internet connection, the laptop will be priced between Rs.500-1,000 to make it affordable to everyone,” Sinha said.
To popularise and make extensive use of the laptop, the ministry plans to distribute the device in hundreds to higher secondary schools and colleges across the country on a pilot basis under the national mission on education through ICT (information and communication technology).
“We intend to provide high-speed internet access to schools and colleges to download e-books, e-journals and relevant educative material through the state-run Sakshat portal,” Sinha said.
The low-cost device, developed jointly by the Indian Institute of Technology (
Demonstrating the laptop in presence of HRD Minister Arjun Singh and experts in the
“The device, which is smaller than the normal laptop in size and weight, still needs fine-tuning. With 2GB (gigabit) memory and wireless internet connection, the laptop will be priced between Rs.500-1,000 to make it affordable to everyone,” Sinha said.
To popularise and make extensive use of the laptop, the ministry plans to distribute the device in hundreds to higher secondary schools and colleges across the country on a pilot basis under the national mission on education through ICT (information and communication technology).
“We intend to provide high-speed internet access to schools and colleges to download e-books, e-journals and relevant educative material through the state-run Sakshat portal,” Sinha said.
|