Make in India: 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 Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a notification issued on Thursday that for the purpose of research and development, testing, benchmarking, evaluation, repair and product development, import license will now be up to 20 items per consignment. The purpose of this step is to reduce imports from countries like China. The notification said, the import of laptops, tablets, all-in-one personal computers and servers has been put under the curb with immediate effect.
The notification said that microcomputers, large computers and some data processing machines have also been kept in the category of import curbs. It said that the import of these products will be allowed if there is a valid license. However, these restrictions will not apply under the baggage rule.
The notification said, a laptop, tablet, all-in-one personal computer, purchased through e-commerce portal, product ordered by post or courier will be exempted from the requirement of import license. In such cases it can be imported on payment of applicable duty.
According to a report by research institute Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI), 65 per cent of India’s imports from China are limited to just three product groups – electronics, machinery and organic chemicals.
The report said that India is largely dependent on China for its daily needs and industrial products such as mobile phones, laptops, components, solar cell modules and ICs. The government has taken several steps to encourage domestic manufacturing of electronics goods.
Major electronics brands sold in the Indian market include HCL, Samsung, Dell, LG Electronics, Acer, Apple, Lenovo and HP. India has imported personal computers worth $5.33 billion including laptops in 2022-23. In 2021-22, this figure was $ 7.37 billion.