Apple iPad for Lok Sabha MPs: A Historic Decision!

I woke up with this news headline featuring on my Facebook page: “Apple a day: Lok Sabha MPs to get iPads” and started calculating in awe:
No. of members in Lok Sabha now = 544
Amount Sanctioned for each MP = 50,000 INR
Price of Apple iPad 64GB Wi-fi, 3G = 47, 900 INR
Total amount to be spent = 544 X 50, 000 = 2,72,00,000 INR. Only.

Now, according to the amendment made in Scheme of Financial Entitlement of Members for Computer Equipment on 14.9.2011, the financial entitlement of a Member for purchasing computer equipment and software under the Scheme during his term as member of Lok Sabha shall be:
“(i) Upto 2,00,000 INR to a member elected to Lok Sabha in general election and a member nominated by the President under Article 331 of the Constitution;
(ii) Upto 1,50,000 INR to a member elected in by-election/nominated by the President and whose term is less than three years.”
So, adding this amount, the lower limit, for the sake of convenience, we get:
2.72 Crores + 544 X 1.5 Lakhs = 108,800,000 INR. Only.
India needs 1.2 million more teachers under the Right to Education Campaign, according to Mr. Kapil Sibal, Union Minister for Human Resource and Development. By 2020, to increase the percentage of students going for higher education from the present 12.4 per cent to 30 per cent in the country, India will need 800 more universities and another 35,000 colleges, according to Mr Sibal.
Lok Sabha Secretary General T.K. Vishwanathan must have planned to sell these iPads for paying Professors in the long run, I suppose. Apart from saving paper as he said.
As far as I remember, the National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NMEICT) once talked about providing affordable high-quality, personalized and interactive knowledge modules over the internet in any-time, any-where mode for students. A low cost computing device that was rich in features, was seen as an imperative. And, hence the low cost tablet ‘Aakash’ came into being. Of course, Aakash is not for MPs. Reasons unclear and unexplained. Also, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee, the hon’ble Finance Minister of India told the media yesterday that opposition to FDI will cost India a great opportunity. Too true. I believe Mr. T.K. Vishwanathan looks at iPad as a FDI in political pockets. Quite an opportunity.
Further, we all are aware that no educational qualification is required to become a Lok Sabha MP. Hence, I conclude this proposal as a literacy drive within the House. Our MPs are sharp, I am sure they will learn soon. There are numerous positive aspects of this proposal. Just the way Ministers have hired bloggers to update their blogs, soon MPs will be hiring iPad operators. Who knows they could even pay these operators handsomely! So, this proposal might prove itself to be the most awaited paradigm shift in fighting unemployment in India. Think about it. High School students will be eligible for well paid jobs. The problem of higher education will also be solved consequently.
What an idea, indeed! Brilliant!
I thought it is a very bad dream and hurried to slumber once again.

References:

1. Scheme of Financial Entitlement of Member of Lok Sabha for the purchase of Computer equipments:  http://164.100.47.132/LssNew/members/Scheme%20for%20Purchase%20of%20Computer%20Equipments%20Rules%202009.pdf

2. Official website of Lok Sabha: http://loksabha.nic.in/

3. For Price of iPad in India: http://www.ebay.in/sch/Apple-iPads-/171583/i.html?rt=nc&LH_ItemCondition=1&_catref=1&_fln=1&_ssov=1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m282

Cartoon Courtesy: http://www.yesudasan.info/images/cartoons/lalu_rabri_2001.jpg