Govt. relaxes restrictions on import of laptop, tablets, and PCs till Nov 1

The Indian government has put a hold on the import restriction order on laptops, PCs and tablets till October 31, giving electronic companies more time to import such devices without a license. Starting November 1, companies will need to obtain a government license for importing these devices.

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade issued an order that permitted the import consignments to be cleared without a license till October 31, 2023. "Liberal transitional arrangement is provided for import of laptops, tablets, all-in-one personal computers, ultra-small form factor computers and servers ... till October 31, 2023", read the order.

The restriction is aimed towards tightening security and promoting the idea of an 'atmanirbhar bharat'. Moreover, it will also monitor the incoming shipments from foreign countries like China and Korea. The decision is expected to boost domestic manufacturing and attract investments in India's electronics sector. The PLI 2.0 IT hardware scheme is already underway, with several companies registered and others invited to submit applications until August 30.