Centre may remove restrictions on imports of PCs, laptops: Report

In August 2023, India had announced restrictions on free import of laptops, tablets, personal computers, and related items, but the plan was soon rolled back

In a U-turn, Central government is considering removing all the restriction on the imports of laptops, computers and servers, a report by Business Standard said on April 2.

However, the government wants the manufacturers to remain committed to the domestic production promises made under the production-linked scheme, the report said.

Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report.

Staring this financial year, major laptop and IT hardware devices and components manufacturer had shared their new plans with the government to increase the value of domestic production, BS said.

This comes a day after the US highlighted concerns over the lack of prior stakeholder consultations by India over a plan to impose restrictions on free imports of laptops and related items, a move that was later set aside.

In August 2023, India had announced restrictions on free import of laptops, tablets, personal computers, and related items, but the plan was soon rolled back, and replaced by an 'import management system' in October 2023, mandatorily requiring IT hardware companies to register and report data related to their inbound shipments. This system has now been extended by a year till December 31, 2025.

“US exporters have expressed concerns over the lack of prior stakeholder consultations. The United States continues to monitor the situation and engage with India on these concerns,” the American trade representative office said in a report on March 31.