Statement by OLPC India Foundation
Mr Satish Jha founded OLPC India Foundation and is the Founder Chairman of the organization.
Mr Jha was appointed President & CEO of OLPC India by invitation by Professor Negroponte and as the organization had financial challenges, Mr Jha supported OLPC India Foundation with his personal resources.
OLPCA is per Nicholas Negroponte, sales department of OLPC. OLPCA owes significant amount to OLPC India Foundation and is on a legal notice as despite Nicholas Negroponte’s commitment in words and in writing, OLPCA has not met its commitments as yet.
OLPCA also wanted to scrutinize every statement made by Mr Jha and he declined to accept that and preferred to dissociate with OLPCA’s activities.
He also made an offer to OLPCA to donate to school children OLPC laptops worth the amount due to Mr Jha and its been more than 7 months and OLPCA is yet to comply with that.
Negroponte had a track record of adversity with the Govt of India following Media Lab Asia experience and the Govt of India had openly refused to accept OLPC proposal.
Mr Jha persuaded the Govts of Kerala, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh to adopt OLPC but Negroponte’s insistence on his own terms deprived India’s poor children of the future they may have had and that Negroponte claims to live to serve.
Negroponte himself told Mr Jha that “Aakash was a such a shame” and he is surprised to see Negroponte’s statement, even though he has known Negroponte’s advice never to question the Government.
Mr Jha is a former Editor of both The Times of India and Indian Express Groups and he was the youngest editor in the national press in the 1980s and believes that the Government must learn to take into account various contending views with respect and debates and criticism are the oxygen to keep a society from letting the minds rot. Mr Jha is also a founder editor of PUCL Bulletin and has been a champion of human rights and freedom of expression.
He believes in OLPC and has supported it with his heart and passion, leaving a lucrative executive role, selling his house, depleting his pension funds and borrowing from funds as Negroponte and OLPC have not met the commitments made voluntarily by them.
Mr Jha is the Founder Chairman and a life trustee of OLPC India Foundation and will always represent the views he considers best for India’s poor and the nation.
