Aakash manufacturer dismisses controversy over Chinese parts tablet unveiled at UN

Amid controversy over parts of the Aakash tablet being made in China, the CEO of its manufacturing firm said he was "proud" that certain components of the low-cost tablet were sourced from Beijing, as he dismissed the controversy over the issue as "sensationalism".

The $40-tablet ran into controversy after reports surfaced that parts of the device, like the motherboard, were manufactured in China and only the final assembly and programming was done in India.

The made-in-China controversy caught up with Suneet Singh Tuli, CEO, Datawind, as he presented the tablet to UN chief Ban Ki-moon, and spoke in detail about the potential of Aakash to significantly alter the Indian education landscape. "Over the last 72 hours I have dealt with this controversy that the Aakash tablet is not 100 per cent made in India. Why is that a controversy?" Tuli said in response to questions about certain components of the tablet sourced globally.

Ban Ki-moon praises India
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon praised India as a "super power" in the field of information technology as he unveiled the country's first indigenously created low-cost Aakash 2 tablet here. The tablet was showcased at the UN headquarters yesterday. India currently holds the presidency of the UN Security Council.

CEO of Datawind, Suneet Singh Tuli, presented the device to the UN Chief who voiced appreciation for the tablet for being "small and handy." "India is a critical player on security issues, but you are also a leader on development and technology. Indeed, India is a super-power on the information superhighway. There is a reason places like Hyderabad are called 'Cyberabad'," Ban said in his remarks.