No Curbs On Laptop Imports, Government To Keep A 'Close Watch'
There won’t be any quantitative or value restrictions on laptops, according to a senior official.
The Commerce Ministry clarified its stance on the import curb on laptop devices on Friday, stating that there are "no restrictions as such."
Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal said that importers of laptop devices would be on a "close watch" in terms of the import source and that there are "no restrictions on laptop imports".
Earlier in August, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade announced import curbs on certain electronic goods. Importers of these items would require a valid licence for restrictive import items from the government for their inbound shipments, it said.
To be sure, there won’t be any quantitative or value restrictions on laptops, according to a senior official who spoke to BQ Prime on the condition of anonymity.
As part of the import management system, an authorisation will be issued to the importers. The entire thing will be on an end-to-end online system, the official quoted above said.
During a trade briefing on Friday, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade said that there will be an "import management system", which will come into place on Nov. 1.
"Subsequent to last notification, there have been frequent consultations done by MeitY and also by DGFT. Stakeholders have raised concerns on the end-to-end online system, which will ensure that the issuance system (of licences) is fairly streamlined," it said.
The import management system is a work in progress and would be put in place before the 30th of this month, the DGFT said.
The move was originally perceived as import restrictions aimed at boosting local production and addressing trade imbalances, impacting the likes of Apple Inc., Samsung Electronics Co., Dell Computer Corp., Lenovo Group Ltd., and HP Co.
The notification singled out laptops, tablets, all-in-one personal computers, and ultra-small form-factor computers and servers as the products that would be impacted.
Shortly after the announcement of the curbs in August, the government delayed import curbs on laptops, tablets and personal computers by three months, giving companies time to apply for a licence.
