India's Government has introduced the world's cheapest laptop for educational purpose.

HR Development Minister, Kapil Sibal unveiled the low-cost computing device for students and said that the Government was already in talks with manufacturers about producing it.

India, which is renowned for producing goods at 'cheaper-than-thou' prices after TATA motors produced the world's cheapest car is expecting the device to go into higher education institutes by 2011.

If successful, the device could even be given away for as little as £6.53.

The device, which has been created by research teams at the Indian Institutes of Technology and Science, cuts prices by using a free Linux-based operating system along with hardware that comes together for as little as £22:

"We have reached a (developmental) stage that today, the motherboard, its chip, the processing, connectivity, all of them cumulatively cost around $35, including memory, display, everything," said Kapil Sabil.

He said that the touchscreen laptop would include features such as internet browsing, pdf reading and video conferencing although the hardware allowed for new featuring according to user requirements.

India