IT Ministry sources said the government may extend the stipulated period of import restrictions by giving companies more time to apply for licenses to import laptops and other equipment. The move will allow businesses to take a breather for a while.
The timetable could be extended, possibly by around a month, they said, adding that DGFT is expected to issue a notification on this soon.
Companies will have more time to apply for licenses and try to make sure they don’t encounter any issues with consignment or transportation, the sources said.
The government’s recent move to impose import restrictions on laptops, tablets and certain types of computers, allowing imports only with valid licenses, is due to “security concerns”.
The import restrictions will allow the center to keep a close eye on where products come from, IT ministry sources said.
On August 3, the Indian government decided to introduce licensing requirements for imports of laptops, tablets and PCs to boost domestic manufacturing. Current Indian regulations allow companies to freely import laptops, but the new rules require those products to obtain special licenses, similar to restrictions India imposed on inbound TV shipments in 2020.
The government gave no reason for the move, which could affect technology companies such as Apple, Dell and Samsung and force them to boost local manufacturing, in Thursday’s notice.
Soon after, reports emerged that giants such as Apple, Samsung Electronics and Hewlett-Packard had frozen new imports of laptops and tablets into India.
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