India restricted import of laptops, tablets, other personal computers and servers with immediate effect on Thursday, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said in an amendment to an import policy.
“Import of laptops, tablets, all-in-one personal computers, and ultra small form factor computers and servers falling under HSN 8741 shall be ‘restricted,’” a government notification said, adding that the import will be allowed against a valid licence for restricted imports. The restriction will also not apply to passengers carrying the mentioned devices in their baggage.
The move is likely to help boost local manufacturing, but New Delhi did not elaborate its rationale.
The revised policy.
In recent years, India has been offering incentives to encourage local manufacturing. The country has successfully attracted smartphone manufacturers and is now gaining the interest of chipmakers and semiconductor producers. The next step is to include hardware manufacturers in the country’s manufacturing network.
In May, the Indian government announced a $2 billion incentive scheme to boost local production of IT hardware in the country and promote businesses locally building devices such as laptops, PCs and servers.
More to follow.
