Consideration of deferring import controls on electronic equipment including laptops, tablets

Mumbai: The decision to ban the import of electronic equipment like laptops, tablets, servers, etc., seems to be shelved by the government for the time being. Large global manufacturers of electronic goods are believed to benefit if the license requirement is dropped.

Instead of imposing an import ban, the government is considering to control the import of these products.

At present, the government has decided not to impose any regulation on the import of these products, said government sources.

Earlier, the importers had to get registered on the Import Management System from November 1, when the licensing system was to come into effect.

In a meeting held on Thursday between the government and the stakeholders of the electronic industry, industry sources said that the government has signaled to postpone the import control.

After six to eight months, the import authorization mechanism will be implemented which will be used to allocate quota to importers of electronic equipment like laptops, tablets, servers etc. However, no date has been given as to when this allocation will start.

Although the Ministry of Electronics and IT suggested a date of September 1, 2024, it has been opposed by the industry, as manufacturers who are eligible under the Product Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme would themselves be manufacturing the equipment in India and possibly exporting it. No wonder.

Sources said that the manufacturers have been assured on behalf of the government that no limit in the form of quantity will be applied on the import of these equipment till October, 2024.