Two government officials have said that obtaining permission to import laptops and tablets into India will be postponed. Before this, the business community and the United States government stated their concerns about this move, which may affect many companies, including Apple, Samsung, and others.
According to Reuters, one of the officials who sought to remain anonymous revealed that the execution of the plan will be postponed for a year, after which the government will consider the establishment of a licencing regime. This information was provided by the official who wished to maintain their anonymity.
The licencing regime was suddenly announced on August 3rd, and its goals were to “ensure trusted equipment and systems” for import into India, reduce reliance on imports, encourage local manufacture, and partially redress the trade deficit between India and China. However, in response to concerns raised by business members, the initial plan was rapidly shelved for around three months.
Katherine Tai, who is in charge of the United States Trade Office, voiced her concern over a decision made by India a month ago. The Ministry of Electronics in India is currently considering ways to streamline the import registration procedure, which is scheduled to get underway in November.
Instead of the licences previously proposed in the order dated August 3rd, the new “import management system” will require enterprises to get “registration certificates” for importing laptops, tablets, and personal computers. This is in place of the licences that were initially planned.
From April to June of this year, India’s imports of electronic goods, including notebooks, tablets, and personal computers, totalled $19.7 billion. This represents a 6.25% rise over the same period of the previous year.
