Patna, Dec. 29: Still eager to push his tablet dream forward in Bihar, Suneet Singh Tuli, the CEO of Canada-based DataWind, will be visiting Patna by mid-January to hold talks with the government.

DataWind, the makers of Akash Tablets among other models, has sent a proposal to the state government in connection with a manufacturing unit in Patna.A detailed proposal regarding this was sent to the state government in December first week. Information technology (IT) minister Shahid Ali Khan had also welcomed the proposal and had promised all help to the company.

However, the government has not taken any initiative as far as contacting DataWind is concerned. The company's interest in Bihar, however, is not yet lost.'We've not heard from the Bihar government yet. I understand they are evaluating it. I'll be back in India in mid-January and will visit officials during that time to move the case forward,' Tuli told The Telegraph on Monday through email.

IT department principal secretary Tripurari Sharan said he had come across the proposal from DataWind. 'Yes, the proposal has come to us and we are taking a look at it. It will be good if they (company officials) can come and hold talks with us,' the official said.

Tuli had earlier said the company was impressed by the state government's industrial policy and found Bihar a key market for their upcoming range of low-cost tablets and smartphones. The good news for the Jitan Ram Manjhi government is that the company, headquartered in Ontario, is not looking for land and is only expecting 'help and support'.

Industrialists believe that the state has to be aggressive on such investments. 'It is unprofessional that the state government hasn't got in touch with DataWind about the proposed investment. The state already is starved of big-ticket investments and such investments do not come often. The company showed interest in Bihar, sent a proposal and said they don't need land. They would also arrange land by themselves and are not choosy about Patna only. They have still not lost interest and the top official of the company is talking about coming to Patna and meeting officials here. The fact that Bihar has not moved forward towards tapping investments, shows that even after so much claims, they have not learnt their lessons well,' a Patna-based industrialist said.