India is open to foreign expertise for development of Aakash: Sibal

Panaji: India is open to collaboration with international companies for future development of the Aakash tablet, which could make the low-cost device available to children across the world, Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal said today.[caption id="attachment_124633" align="alignleft" width="380" caption="HRD minister Kapil Sibal holds an Aakash tablet. CNN-IBN"][/caption]Talking to PTI on the sidelines of the Goa Thinkfest conclave, Sibal said if any company wanted to collaborate with Indian government on Aakash, it would be welcomed, as "we want this tablet PC to be not only for the children of India, but for the children of the world".The under Rs 3,000 tablet, meant for college students, was unveiled early last month.The minister said that during his visit to UNESCO, he found that Aakash had caught the attention of world leaders."IBM and Intel want to collaborate with India for further development of this product without touching its price," he said, adding that the next edition of the device would be much more advanced, but will be available at the same price of USD 35.PTI