New Delhi: The central government has placed restrictions on the import of laptops, tablets, all-in-one personal computers, and ultra-small computers with immediate effect. Entities or companies seeking to import these products for sale in India now require permission or a license from the government. The decision comes under HSN Code 8471, a classification system used for taxation purposes, and aims to promote domestic manufacturing under the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for IT hardware.
According to a government official, the move aims to ensure the security of citizens by addressing potential security-related issues in hardware that could compromise sensitive data. However, there are exemptions for import consignments if the bill of lading and letter of credit were issued before August 3.
Local electronics contract manufacturers’ shares rose after the announcement, indicating a positive impact on domestic companies. For global tech giants like Apple, Lenovo, HP, Asus, Acer, and Samsung, the new rule would require them to either start manufacturing their products in India or stop importing them. This could result in an increase in the prices of laptops, computers, and other gadgets in the Indian market, as most of them are currently imported from China. Companies can apply for special permits to continue importing laptops into India despite the restrictions.
