New Delhi: Implementation of the Union Commerce Ministry’s curbs, that were recently announced on the import of laptops, personal computers (PC), tablets and other related items, has been stayed till October 31, a government notification said.
“Import consignments can be cleared till 31.10.2023 without a license for restricted imports. For clearance of import consignments with effect from 01.11.2023, a valid License for Restricted imports is required,” a notification issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade said.
Liberal transitional arrangements have been announced for the import of laptops, tablets, all-in-one personal computers, servers, and other electronic devices until October 31, it added.
However, the DGFT stated that a valid licence for restricted imports will be required "with effect from November 1".
The announcement came just hours after Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, stated that a transition period would be in place prior to the implementation of the new rules.
"There will be a transition period for this to be put into effect, which will be notified soon," Chandrasekhar had tweeted, a day after the commerce ministry announced that computer manufacturers would now require a valid licence and would have to pay duty to import PCs, laptops, tablets, servers, and other similar items.
The exemption will be granted only for up to 20 such items per consignment for the purposes of research and development, testing, benchmarking and evaluation, repair and re-export, and product development, according to the commerce ministry.
Chandrasekhar defended the policy, claiming that the government's goals are to use "trusted hardware and systems" in the Indian tech ecosystem, "reduce import dependence," and "increase domestic manufacturing of this category of products."