'Upgraded Aakash to be launched in April or May'

The upgraded version of Aakash tablet, touted to be the world's cheapest, would be launched in April or May without hike in price, Union Minister D Purandeswari said on Friday.

"The new tablet was completely indigenous and defects noticed in the earlier version had been rectified," she said. Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal had said a few days ago that there were some "problems" with the original manufacturer Datawind, and the company would not be associated with the tablet anymore. Aakash tablet is priced at approximately $49.