NEW DELHI: The government on Monday said it will not postpone the proposed restrictions on import of laptops, personal computers and tablets. The restrictions, which include mandatory licence requirements for bulk imports of these items, will kick in from 1 November 2023.
Major manufacturers had in a meeting with Rajeev Chandrashekhar, the Minister of State for the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), had requested for an extension in the transition period by 6-12 months.
Alkesh Kumar Sharma, the secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), said the government is pleased with the response received for the PLI scheme for large electronics. Therefore, there is no need to give more transition time to these companies to start manufacturing in India.
“So far, we have received 58 registrations for the scheme, encompassing entities both large and small, and representing both Indian and foreign interests. As the deadline to apply for the scheme is August 30 ,2023, we expect more registrations,” said Alkesh Kumar Sharma.
On August 4, the government made a sudden announcement imposing import restrictions on personal computers, laptops, and tablets. However, after a lot of hue and cry, the government decided to postpone the implementation of the restrictions till 1 November.
In their meeting with Rajeev Chandrasekhar, major laptop manufacturers including Dell, Acer, Samsung, Panasonic, Apple, Lenovo, and HP, had raised several concerns including the decision and the process of obtaining licences.
Restrictions to kick in from November 1
Alkesh Kumar Sharma, the secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), said the government is pleased with the response received for the PLI scheme for large electronics. Therefore, there is no need to give more transition time to these companies to start manufacturing in India. Restrictions on import of certain electronics items will kick in from November 1, 2023