NEW DELHI: You no longer need to wait to buy yourself that expensive electronic gadget you have been eyeing, just because it hadn’t been released in India yet. With the government increasing the limit for import of electronic goods for personal use from Rs 2,000 to a whopping Rs 50,000, you can import any gadget within the revised ceiling.
The Directorate General of Foreign Trade, in its notification, said, “CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight) value of import of consumer electronic items at any one time by any person through post or otherwise for personal use is enhanced to Rs 50,000.” The news is good for thousands of prospective shoppers. “Earlier, when I wanted some electronic components as part of my job, it was very difficult to import them,” said Roji John, a videographer from Alappuzha.
This also represents a much-needed move away from a licence raj. It took a lot of time to get a licence from government authorities, even for the import of a few electronic goods for personal use. The notification means that even if import of such products is otherwise restricted, they can be imported without an import licence for personal use. (Inputs from Sesa Sen @ Chennai, Pramod Thomas @ Kochi)