The India Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA) has lauded the government's decision to maintain unrestricted imports of laptops and tablets until September 2024. This transition towards the Import Management System, scheduled to begin on November 1, 2023, is being carefully developed in cooperation with the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) under the Ministry of Commerce to ensure a smooth transition from existing procedures.
ICEA's Chairman, Pankaj Mohindroo, considers this decision to be of vital assistance to the industry, especially during ongoing dialogues with the government to establish import regulations.
This development is a relief for companies like HP, Apple, Dell, Lenovo, and others who depend on imports to meet the increasing demand for PCs, laptops, and tablets in India, particularly during the festive season.
In the meantime, the Indian government has requested that PC and laptop companies share their import data for the past three years. Industry sources revealed that last month, PC and laptop manufacturers met with officials from the Ministry of Information Technology to discuss the reconsideration of import licensing requirements and quotas.
These discussions include proposed changes, such as linking the import of IT hardware to a company's local manufacturing value and its export value of electronic items.
Mohindroo underlines the importance of such policy adjustments in supporting India's journey towards becoming a self-reliant and globally competitive electronics manufacturing hub.
ALSO READ: Google commits to manufacturing Pixel smartphones in India, supporting 'Make in India' initiative
"The industry is now working with DGFT to ensure a smooth transition from the current process to the Import Management System from November 1," he added.
The government has set a target of $300 billion in production for the electronics manufacturing sector by FY26. The recently introduced Production-Linked Incentive (PLI 2.0) Scheme for IT Hardware has an allocation of approximately Rs 22,890 crore over the next six years.
Inputs from IANS
