July 30, 2008, 2:17 PM — A low-cost laptop being developed by the Indian government in tandem with two leading Indian education and research institutions will cost US$100 when available, and not $10 as was earlier stated by the government.
A spokesman for Minister of State for Higher Education, D. Purandeswari, said on Wednesday that the price of the laptop would in fact be US$100 rather than $10.
[ Related reading: India developing $10 laptop ]
In a transcript of the speech delivered by Purandeswari at a conference in Delhi on Tuesday, which was provided by the government's press bureau to reporters, the Minister was quoted as saying that the government aims to provide $10 laptops to students.
The transcript has been updated subsequently to reflect the new price of the laptop.
Research on the low-cost laptop is being already carried out at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras. The government did not however provide information on the specifications of the laptop, or whether the price would include a subsidy from the government.
