Government may have ‘good news’ for Apple, Samsung and other laptops makers – Times of India

The government is likely to defer import duty curbs on PCs, laptops and tablets by at least 9-12 months. The move is sure to provide respite to manufacturers, including Apple, Samsung, Lenovo and others. This means that India may bring in restrictions from November 2024, media reports said.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) held talks with industry players on laptop, PC import restrictions, who reportedly sought extension of time the October 31 deadline to register for licence.
The industry players are likely to get a 1-2 year window to import without laptops, tablets, all-in-one personal computers, ultra-small form factor computers, and server restrictions. Additionally, the window will help the companies, who rely on imports, to meet the surge in demand of their products in the country during the upcoming festive season.
The government has reportedly proposed a middle ground, according to which, it may allow unrestricted imports if PC and laptop makers register for the new import process. The Centre has also asked the companies to share their import data for the last three years, the reports claimed.
They added that the government is likely to introduce restrictions in a staggered way from November 2024 and then increase them by November 2025.
What are the new import rules
The government brought new rules for importing laptops and tablets, among other small factor computers. According to the norms finalised by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), the companies will now require licences for importing laptops and tablets. Current regulations in India allow companies to import laptops freely.
IT minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that the government’s objective with this move is to “ensure trusted hardware and systems, reduce import dependance and increase domestic manufacturing of this category of products”.
Various consumer electronics companies had earlier urged the government to extend the October 31 deadline for the licences required to import PCs, laptops and tablets, by claiming that it will take time for them to configure and set up manufacturing/assembling units in the country.