Datawind scrambles to meet delivery deadline for Aakash 2 - again

Even as Human Resource Development Minister MM Pallam Raju, last Thursday, said that the production of Aakash is a challenge and wrote to to executing body IIT Bombay, asking it to ensure that the vendor Datawind meets the terms, conditions and the supply order of the Aakash 2, by 31 March, Datawind has said it is doing all it can to honour its contract with the government.

“In addition to the four new manufacturing partners for the Aakash 2 tablets in India, DataWind has set-up India’s first touch-screen lab in Amritsar, furthering its goal to establish and grow India’s high-tech manufacturing Industry,” Suneet Singh Tuli, CEO, DataWind has said, adding that the company is committed to the Aakash project and will continue iterating improvements with each version.

Raju had last week said that production was the one aspect Aakash had failed in, as the company had not produced and supplied as many as devices as they should have.

Datawind was to supply one lakh Aakash tablets to IIT Bombay, which would then be made available to students at half its cost to the government at a subsidised rate of Rs. 1,130. However only 17,100 devices have been delivered to IIT-Bombay so far.

According to DataWind, 29,400 devices are in delivery transit to IIT-Bombay and will be delivered in the next few days, even as 23,500 devices which have already been manufactured at sub-contract manufacturers are pending shipment. This, the company said, will be shipped upon payment for the 29,400 units which have already been shipped.

Of the 1 lakh units that DataWind has to provide IIT-Bombay, 30,000 units are still undergoing final assembly and the company expects them to be completely assembled within the next couple of weeks, “although all efforts are being made to deliver as many as possible by 31 March” – the deadline for delivery of Aakash 2.

Tuli, DataWind’s CEO, has blamed Customs for the delay and said that the company was happy with the way it had increased its local presence. “The delay was caused by the verifications process that Customs needed to conduct on the Exemption Certificates for certain components issued by IIT-Bombay,” he said, adding, “We are pleased with how our manufacturing has scaled over the last few months.”

“While detractors glee in proclaiming the project’s premature demise, our vision is to enable every child in India with such solutions, and promise to persevere against adversity,” said Suneet Singh Tuli.