The government in a late-night decision announced the delay in licensing mandate for the import of laptops, tablets and personal computers by nearly 3 months. The licensing mandate for imports of laptops, tablets and personal computers is now effective from 1 November.
“Import consignments can be cleared till 31 October without a license for restricted imports. For clearance of import consignments with effect from 1 November, a valid License for Restricted imports is required,” said Directorate General of Foreign Trade, Government of India.
The move is expected to offer a breather to companies, who have been on tenterhooks following Goeverment’s order. The government imposed import restrictions on laptops, tablets, and certain types of computers with immediate effect for security reasons and the need to promote domestic manufacturing. The move will also curtail inbound shipments of these goods from countries like China and Korea.
Importers of these items would now have to seek permission or license from the government for their inbound shipments.
The government’s latest move to impose import restrictions on laptops, tablets and certain types of computers, and allow their import only through valid licences was triggered by “security concerns”, sources said.
Import curbs will allow the Centre to keep a close watch on locations from where products are coming from, they said.
The decision will also spur domestic manufacturing, at a time when India has identified electronics manufacturing as a key priority area for its future growth ambitions and is hoping to attract investments from global biggies looking to diversify their operations outside China.
Under PLI 2.0 IT hardware scheme, 44 companies have already been registered and two companies have filed their application on the scheme portal by July 31, 2023. The companies can submit applications till August 30, 2023. Sources said two companies, including HP, have already applied under the PLI scheme.
Further, sources said that licences can be taken for one year and added that companies can apply multiple times, and multiple units can apply for licences as well. DGFT has prepared a portal for companies/traders to apply online for the licence.
IT Ministry sources said that the scale-up of domestic production will lead to lower hardware prices for consumers.
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Updated: 04 Aug 2023, 11:34 PM IST