Aakash is a series of Android-based tablet computers produced by an initiative of the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development. It is a low-cost tablet computer with a 7-inch touch screen. The device was developed as part of the country’s aim to link 25,000 colleges and 400 universities in an e-learning program. The cost of basic version for a student was only Rs 1500, which was around USD35. In July 2010, the Minister of Human Resource Development, Kapil Sibal unveiled a prototype of Aakash, which was later given out to 500 college students to collect feedback. The tablet was officially launched as Aakash in New Delhi on 5 October 2011. The Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India announced an upgraded second-generation model called Aakash 2 in April 2012. In this series, the new version of Aakash has been named Aakash IV.
A Committee regarding continuous R&D and timely delivery of Aakash was constituted by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology, Ministry of Communications and IT, on 22nd December, 2011. A Sub-Committee comprising of technical experts has prepared the proposed vendor neutral Technical Specifications of Aakash IV, which specify minimum hardware requirements, minimum software requirements, mechanical and environmental specifications, safety and other standards compliance, maintenance and serviceability, other features, contents of tablet package and testing criteria. These specifications have been developed with a view to have a low cost device. The Committee has decided that the proposed specifications be put up on the websites of Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DeitY) to enable all interested stakeholders to give their comments on the proposed technical specifications of Aakash IV device over a period of two weeks.
The proposed technical specifications of Aakash IV can be viewed on MHRD and Department of Electronics and IT Website. Last date for submitting comment is July 12, 2013.
