he NDA government is likely to dump the much-hyped Aakash tablet computer launched amid huge fanfare by Kapil Sibal, the Union Minister Of Human Resource Development in UPA-II. The project has not been on the new government's agenda and there have been no consultations on it so far. The low-cost device meant for college students across the country had been upgraded into finer versions thrice, but none have reached students yet.

Ministry officials had said that the tablets would most likely be given out starting this May, once a target group was identified. However, the project has been put on the back burner with officials maintaining that there will be clarity on it only after the Union budget is presented on 10 July.

Sources associated with the tablet since its launch in 2011 said that the project has been nothing short of a "scam". Domestic handset maker Simmtronics was initially roped in by the ministry to manufacture the device, as it was already in the business of making low-cost tablets. However, at the last minute, the contract was given away to Canada-based Datawind.

"We had already had several rounds of discussions and meetings with the HRD officials working on the idea. We had the technology in place since we had already been making low-cost tablets for the Middle East. We also gave them a competitive price as they had asked for. It was almost clear that we had a good chance to bag the deal, however, just before the launch they told us we are out of the game, as they had employed someone else for it," Managing director, Simmtronics, Indrajit Sabharwal told this newspaper.

Sources claim that Datawind, run by Suneet Singh Tuli, was "close" to Sibal and had used outdated technology. "The company did not have adequate technology to deliver the tablets. They had used decades-old technology. The product was being manufactured in China, as the company did not have a manufacturing unit in Canada," they said.

It was widely reported that the first 1,000 tablets made by Datawind rab into technical problems within a month. Of these, 900 tablets had to be sent to IIT-Rajasthan for repairs.

The project was then handed over to IIT-Bombay. By this time Datawind was assigned to deliver 1,00,000 tablets of the upgraded version, Aakash-II. Soon after, controversies emerged over allegations that parts for the device were procured from China and only the final assembly and programming was done in India. Dismissing the allegations, Tuli had told the media that the motherboards and kits were manufactured in its Chinese subcontractor's facilities for the first 10,000 units, to expedite the pace of the project.

Earlier this year, tenders for Aakash-IV were to be floated by the government, with the promise of distributing 50 lakh tablets to students. After missing several deadlines, the specifications were finalised in March.

The Directorate General of Supplies and Disposal, the central agency that procures goods for the government, floated the tender in January, and 10 to 12 companies made bids. The contract was to be given to multiple vendors for swift supply.

Simmtronics initially showed interest in bidding, but decided against it. "We had bid for Aakash-IV initially, but there was no clarity in the proceedings, so we backed out," said Sabharwal.