No ban on import of laptops and tablets, says Meity senior official; Check details

The Government of India on Thursday announced restrictions on the import of laptops, tablets, and servers. However, a senior official for the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has now clarified that companies and traders can still import such items without any ban.

Announcing the crackdown on imports, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry notified on Thursday that electronic items that fell under the HSN 8741 category, such as personal computers, microcomputers, automatic data processing machines, and mainframe computers would be restricted and would require a valid license for restricted imports.

No ban on imports

However, a senior official for MeitY has explained that there is no ban on imports, and the online license portal by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) is already up and running. Companies can attain a valid import license within 5 minutes, and it will have a validity of one year. One company has already applied for multiple licenses, the MeitY official revealed.

“The prices of these goods - laptops, tablets, personal computers, etc. - won't rise and there will be no disruption to goods in transit,” he said in a LiveMint report.

Despite the import restrictions, the Indian government has also provided exemptions on the import of certain items. An exemption on import licenses for up to 20 items per consignment has been provided for the purpose of R&D testing, benchmarking and evaluation, repair and re-export, and product development purposes.

A welcome move

The Electronic Industries Association of India (ELCINA) has welcomed the Indian government's move to place restrictions on the import of electronics like laptops, tablets, and servers. According to the association, this step signifies a crucial step towards enhancing national security and reducing reliance on foreign imports.

Sanjay Agarwal, President at ELCINA said, “This notification is a welcome move from the government to boost manufacturing in India, promoting make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat in IT hardware products. More focus will be there to enhance R&D, Technology, and design, which in turn will make India self-reliant with a thriving supply chain network in IT Hardware.”