India Revealed $30 Laptop for Students

India unveiled $30 (Rs 1500 approx) laptop on Tuesday which was designed mainly for students. Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal said that the price will come down further if more companies start manufacturing the device. The laptop is going to be available to students in 2011. The ministry expects that the prices will drop to Rs.1,000 ($20) and reach Rs.500 ($10) as new device are introduced.

When ministry mooted the plan a few years back for low cost computer, it would have cost $10 (Rs 500). Now, the price escalates three times of the projection. The device is almost similar to the size of regular laptop and it is a single unit system that comes with a touch screen and a built in key board along with a 2 GB RAM, wi-fi connectivity, USB port and powered by a 2-watt system to suit poor power supply areas.

HRD minister Sibal further said that initially, there was not much demand from private sector. But, gradually, the demand is rising. The original plan for the laptop was floated in consultation with Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, IIT Kanpur, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Madras and IIT Bombay, a ministry official said.HRD ministry will distribute the laptop to the institution. The final cost of the device depends upon the transportation cost.