India will only monitor the inbound shipments of laptops and computers. (Representational)
New Delhi:
India’s Commerce Secretary has announced that there will be no licensing requirement for imports of laptops and computers. Instead, the government will closely monitor the inbound shipments of these products.
This statement is significant as it comes after the government’s announcement in August that these products would be subject to licensing starting from November 1.
The Commerce Secretary, Sunil Barthwal, clarified that this monitoring is not intended as a restriction but rather as a way to keep a close watch on the imports. He added that the import management system will be implemented from November 1, with progress currently underway.
These measures were initially taken to boost domestic manufacturing and reduce imports from countries like China, addressing security concerns. The IT hardware industry had expressed concerns in response to these import restrictions.
India already has an import monitoring system in place for certain products such as steel, coal, and paper.
In recent years, India has taken various steps to promote domestic electronic manufacturing, including the introduction of production-linked incentive schemes and increasing customs duties on electronic components. The country imports approximately USD 7-8 billion worth of laptops and computers annually.
In the last fiscal year, India imported laptops worth USD 5.33 billion, down from USD 7.37 billion in the previous year. Imports of certain data processing machines totaled USD 553 million, compared to USD 583.8 million in the previous year. Similarly, imports of micro computers/processors were valued at USD 1.2 million, down from USD 2.08 million in the previous year.
The government had recently approved a Production-Linked Incentive Scheme 2.0 for IT Hardware with a budget of Rs 17,000 crore. Additionally, a scheme for IT hardware production, covering laptops, tablets, All-in-One PCs, and servers, was approved in February 2021 with a budget of Rs 7,350 crore.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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