Government Restricts Import of Laptops Tablets and PCs : The Government of India has announced a ban on the import of laptops, tablets, personal computers, ultra-small form factor computers and servers today i.e. on 3rd August. Import of these items will be allowed on license basis. According to the government announcement, in some cases these rules have been exempted. There is no restriction on buying laptops, tablets etc. for personal use and research etc.
Import permitted under valid license
The commerce ministry said in a notification on August 3 that the central government has banned the import of laptops, tablets and computers with immediate effect. According to the report, it has been written in the notice that import will be allowed under valid license for restricted import. The notification said, the import of laptops, tablets, all-in-one personal computers and ultra small form factor computers and servers falling under HSN 8741 shall be restricted and their import shall be permitted against valid license for restricted import .
What does it mean to restrict the import of a product?
The government has banned the import of laptops, tablets, all-in-one personal computers, ultra small form factor (USFF) computers and servers. The import curb is in force with immediate effect. Putting the import of a product in the category of restrictions means that license or permission of the government will be mandatory for their import. The purpose of this step is to reduce imports from countries like China.
The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a notification issued on Thursday that for the purpose of research and development, testing, benchmarking and evaluation, repair and return and product development, import license will now be up to 20 items per consignment. According to the PTI language report, the notification said, the import of laptops, tablets, all-in-one personal computers and servers has been put under the curb with immediate effect.
However, an exemption from import license requirements is provided for import of a laptop, tablet, all-in-one personal computer, or ultra small form factor computer, including computers purchased through post or courier from an e-commerce portal are also included. This decision has been taken at a time when the government is emphasizing on Make in India.