12th March 2012
First Published: Mon, Mar 12 2012. 11 46 PM IST
Updated: Mon, Mar 12 2012. 11 46 PM IST
New Delhi: The human resource development (HRD) ministry has asked makers of the low-cost Aakash computer tablet to meet international product certifications for such devices, withdrawing an earlier order that set stringent standards on DataWind Ltd, the maker of the first tranche of Aakash devices.
The ministry has asked DataWind to produce international certifications on the testing and specification standards, according to two government officials, who declined to be named.
In the first tranche and the forthcoming bidding process to select a new maker for the low-cost device, the manufacturers will now need to get certifications from labs such as the Underwriters Lab in the US and Europe’s BVQI lab.
“We have taken a practical stand. The Aakash tablet will be a much better product than what we have seen so far, without violating the Rs 2,276 price point,” said N.K. Sinha, additional secretary in the HRD ministry.
The latest prescribed standards, published by the International Electrotechnical Commission, include specifications for withstanding rough handling and standards for safety, voltage and energy efficiency.
The modified Aakash tablets are likely to come in by the month-end or early April, according to one of the two government officials cited above.
In December, two months after the Aakash tablet was introduced, the Indian Institute of Technology, Rajasthan (IIT-R), which was asked by the government to source the product, imposed stringent standards on Canada-based DataWind for making the device. These standards were not a part of the original tender and were similar to those specified by Hewlett-Packard Co. for its series of rugged notebooks and tablet computers that cost more than Rs.1 lakh. The Aakash tablet is expected to be priced at about $45.
“The latest test criteria proposed by IIT-R still has a mix of military criteria,” Suneet Singh Tuli, chief executive of DataWind, said in an email.
Tuli said Aakash and its specifications are being reviewed and tested by an independent lab. “Once the tests are complete, we’ll be able to take a position on this new criteria and move the project forward,” he said.
DataWind stopped supplying the Aakash tablets after IIT-R imposed the strict standards. Tuli declined to disclose how many tablets his firm delivered to the government. “The ministry or IIT-R will provide specific numbers,” he said.
Sumanta Mukherjee, lead analyst (personal computers, peripherals, accessories and information technology channels) at CyberMedia Research Infotech Practice, said if there were no standards, it would be easy for companies to deliver products at a scale and price. “But the moment you impose standards, and international ones at that, you are raising the bar, and matching the government-mandated price point could be very difficult,” he added.
prashant.n@livemint.com
