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07 August 2010

OLPC should purchase 1 million laptop from Govt of India

I just want to give another proof where the current system of Governance in India is NOT supporting OLPC.
Per OLPC the cost of shipping is $65.1 (appx Rs 3000 )
On the one hand , MHRD of India talks about a $35 laptop (mission impossible) and, on the other end they charge roughly twice the proposed cost as duties.

Recently Nicholas Negroponte of OLPC offered 'free of cost' access of all the OLPC technology and MIT lab to India. Can the Govt of India make a counter offer of buying 10,000 laptops for each language area and test it out how it will work and see that this laptop is actually more than a laptop- its a complete, general purpose computer along with dozens of unique capabilities that NO OTHER computer has.

If there is a product which is meant for education then Govt of India must stop punishing it by removing duties to promote its adoption in the villages.

Comment on MHRD $35 Dollar.

Last year MHRD talked about $10 laptop and now $35. See nobody can produce tablets at this price. When MHRD announced about the $35 laptop, China must have celebrate 'National Joke Day'.

India's corruption is a legion. Even if the country could produce one at a cost in the range of $35-75 finally after a couple of years it will still be a huge scam on account of becoming an eWaste  within a short while.

When ever I show OLPC to anybody first I throw it on the floor. You cannot make such a good design at such a cheap price. Negroponte already underlined that OLPC is not a cheap laptop. It is an inexpensive laptop.

Final comment.


We want to purchase laptops from GoI at $35 to existing OLPC specification. Make your own assembly line and produce this OLPC at $35. We are ready to buy them at $100 as well.

We at OLPC already have a purchase order for for a few million XO laptops from the developing countries. If India Govt can build our laptop at $100, I am ready to buy 1 million now.
Below is the part of confidential mail

There is a total of $65,100.00 needed to ship 1000 laptops with a DDP incoterm.
Please advice how additional funds will be transfered to OLPC in order to ship laptops DDP.


Correction in my blog.

Update
   1. I have corrected the title of the blog.  read 'OLPCIndia will purchase'  as 'OLPC should purchase'
   2. $65.1 dollar is Custom Duties (this is not shipping cost, this is in addition to shipping cost) when one XO laptop comes in

  3.  This is my personal blog. This is not an official blog of OLPC India. I have expressed my own view and should not be considered as official statement from OLPC-India Or  OLPC.



┌─────────────────────────┐
│    Narendra Sisodiya
│    OLPC-India, Technical Consultant
│    http://narendrasisodiya.com
└─────────────────────────┘

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