Amidst Industry Concerns

India Extends Laptop Import License Deadline Amidst Industry Concerns

In a bid to push Atmanirbhar Bharat, Modi Government has imposed restrictions to import laptops and other devices but the deadline has been pushed to October 31 amidst Industry concerns. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade has limited the import of laptops, tablets, PCs, and ultra-small computers under code 8741. This move has been approved by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The main purpose of this move is to motivate PC manufacturing and assembling within India as part of the Atmanirbharat Bharat. You should note that big manufacturers like Apple, Dell, HP, and Lenovo import devices from China. However, the deadline has been extended until October 31 amidst Industry concerns within which companies will have to obtain licenses to import laptops and tablets.

Reducing Chinese Dependency

The fact is that the Government is trying to reduce Chinese dependency. The interesting fact is that Dell had setup an exclusive factory in Tamil Nadu in 2006 itself. There are rumors that prices of PCs and tablets could increase since companies need to obtain an import license. After hearing from the Industry, Goverrnment has extended the deadline to obtain a license to import laptops and PCs until October 31. This move will be a tight slap on the face of companies like Xiaomi since they import laptops from China.

Going forward, companies need to obtain import licenses to bring laptops, tablets, and PCs to the Indian territory. The Narendra Modi government is keen to boost domestic manufacturing of laptops and PCs. Modi really wants to reduce Chinese dependency after the deadly Galwan attack. The restrictions will also protect the Indian IT industry from intense competition from foreign companies.

Reliability of devices

The question is here about the reliability of the devices manufactured in India. There are reports that companies have stopped importing because of the license requirement, while few companies have reduced their shipments. The new laptop import restrictions will affect consumers and businesses. While consumers need to pay more for laptops and PCs, businesses will have to find alternative suppliers.

Government monitoring

After listening to the concerns from the IT industry, the Government delayed the implementation of the laptop import restrictions until October 31, 2023. The industry sources are worried that the move will have a negative impact on the availability of laptops and tablets ahead of the upcoming festive season. The Government revealed to the media that they will continue to monitor the situation and could lift the restrictions before October 31 based on the domestic manufacturing production capacity. That said, all companies will need to obtain a license from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade to import laptops and PCs into India from November 1. The move is also related to the upcoming general elections and also to garner the votes of traders.

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