• India Gears Up for 250,000 OLPCs

    India Gears Up for 250,000 OLPCs

    Techtree News Staff, Apr 28, 2009 1723 hrs IST

    To distribute across the country

    mail share

After the $10 laptop debacle, the Indian Government seems to have softened it stand on OLPC's (One Laptop Per Child) which it was not very keen on in the not too distant past.

In fact, the government has signed an agreement with the OLPC Foundation to purchase as many as 250,000 XO laptops from the foundation for distribution across the country. OLPC's first tryst with India happened in 2007 when 20 XO machines were distributed in a Maharashtra village. This was just years after the foundation was set-up in 2005. After the completion of the project in Maharashtra, even though it was a success, the Indian government chose not to continue with the OLPC plan citing "health" reasons. The MHRD (Ministry of Human Resource Development) thought it was unhealthy for children to use laptops for prolonged periods.

Meanwhile, the government went ahead with the $10 laptop project, which sounded preposterous right from the outset. Call it a PR gaffe or a real bad job at publicity, the $10 computing device "Sakshat" was far cry from a laptop and was snubbed by many who thought it was more of a glorified pen-drive and less a laptop. Mind you, we're not taking anything away from Sakshat or the people behind it. The intentions were right, but the presentation and publicity left a lot to be desired. In the end, the country was left red faced because of all this $10 hype.

Now, the OLPC foundation is readying an update to the current machines. These include a RAM boost to 1GB and a storage boost to 4GB. The latest version is expected to land sometime in 2010. At this moment, there is no news on which version of the laptop has the government opted for.

Follow Techtree on Twitter

Related Links
Acer Aspire 4520
Laptop Yes, but No More $100
WD Scorpio
Tag keywords
Laptop OLPC Maharashtra Sakshat Ministry of Human Resource Development



Discussion Board
(10) Comments
guru
,bombay, on May 04, 2009 10:25 AM
really excellent
Report abuse
rajeev bajpai
,delhi, on May 03, 2009 10:40 AM
from 20 laptops to 250000. from a pilot started in a village to a order which makes the product available across India. This looks to be the largest order in terms of sheer size seen by It industry for a long long time. Congratulations !! However the article raises 3 questions and needs to be answered : 1. This is election time in India..and obviosly order of this magnitude by the government ...sounds difficult to believe. 2. There is no mention of this big achievement on either the OLPC foundation site or OLPC india site. 3. The namesof the Government organisation placing the order are missing ? It would be a good service to your readers if the above questions are answered as they will give credibility to the news .
Report abuse
rajeev bajpai
,delhi, on May 03, 2009 10:39 AM
from 20 laptops to 250000. from a pilot started in a village to a order which makes the product available across India. This looks to be the largest order in terms of sheer size seen by It industry for a long long time. Congratulations !! However the article raises 3 questions and needs to be answered : 1. This is election time in India..and obviosly order of this magnitude by the government ...sounds difficult to believe. 2. There is no mention of this big achievement on either the OLPC foundation site or OLPC india site. 3. The namesof the Government organisation placing the order are missing ? It would be a good service to your readers if the above questions are answered as they will give credibility to the news .
Report abuse
shikha
,Delhi , on May 01, 2009 12:04 PM
fake ...n stupidity
Report abuse
Sarit Maitra
,Mumbai, on Apr 29, 2009 02:13 PM
Let the Government start with 1 Desktop per class room; and go from there; having a computer with good internet connectivity and well maintained round the year is a challenge, which we all want to see as how the Government and School Management are ready to take, before we think of OLPC.
Report abuse
vipul
,panipat, on Apr 29, 2009 01:22 PM
expect this will not happen further...
Report abuse
rajeev
,lucknow, on Apr 29, 2009 12:33 PM
Many schools do not have a proper classrooms and the children are made to sit out in the open. I think the govt. ought to first create the infrastructure for the schools as this amount can be better utilized.
Report abuse
ashwin
,mumbai, on Apr 29, 2009 10:57 AM
Idea is excellent but how many places still does not have even a light bulb ie power ???
Report abuse
Prem
,Mumbai, on Apr 29, 2009 09:38 AM
Why did the Govt. change its stand, that too when it is close to getting voted out? Something fishy here. First of all, those $200 OLPC laptops are not worth it - the money is better spent on improving primary school infrastructure. Secondly, when the US is turning protectionist and reducing opportunities for Indians, why are we bending over backwards to give them contracts?
Report abuse
sdsse
,ny, on Apr 28, 2009 08:32 PM
amazinngggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg
Report abuse

Opinion Poll