At least 32 international electronics companies have applied for India’s incentive scheme to manufacture laptops, tablets and servers in the country, a senior Indian minister said on Wednesday, weeks after the government announced restrictions on laptop imports.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is pushing to boost domestic manufacturing capabilities under the “Make in India” initiative, with several multinational companies either setting up their own divisions or entering into joint ventures with Indian firms.
Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the electronics companies’ applications were made under the country’s $2 billion (Rs 16,500 crore) Information Technology Hardware Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme announced in May.
Earlier this month, India said it would introduce licensing requirements for imports of laptops, tablets and personal computers, in what was widely seen as a move to boost local production.
Companies that have applied to manufacture laptops and other products in India include Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, Dell Technologies, Asus, Acer and Lenovo, Vaishnaw said, according to a video from the ANI news agency, in which Reuters has a minority stake.
PLI scheme for IT hardware is expected to bring in Rs. The minister said that the new investment of 24.3 billion may directly create 75,000 jobs.
India will provide a transition period of about three months before a new licensing regime for importing laptops, tablets and personal computers takes effect, India’s trade watchdog said on Aug. 5.
It was a partial reversal of Thursday’s surprise decision to immediately implement licensing requirements, which had sparked calls for a delay.
“Before October 31, imported goods could be cleared without a permit, and from November 1, government permits will be required for import clearance,” the government said in a notification.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
(This story was not edited by NDTV staff and was automatically generated from syndicated feeds.)
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