Govt defers move to curb imports of laptops, tablets by 3 months

The government has deferred the move to restrict the import of laptops, tablets and personal computers by three months. Companies importing these goods will now have time until October 31 to get a licence to import the devices, the government said in a notification.

The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) issued a notification on Friday late on night which states: “Import consignments can be cleared till October 31, 2023 without a license for restricted imports. For clearance of import consignments with effect from November 1, 2023, a valid License for Restricted imports is required:

“A 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,” the notification added.

The government had on Thursday announced the imposition of import restrictions on laptops, tablets, and certain types of computers with immediate effect for security reasons and the need to promote domestic manufacturing. The move will curtail imports of these goods from countries like China and Korea.

The government’s move to impose import restrictions on laptops, tablets and certain types of computers, and allow their import only through valid licences was also triggered by security concerns. Import curbs will allow the Centre to keep a close watch on locations from where products are coming from, officials said.

Union IT Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar had said the move was aimed to “ensure trusted hardware and systems” and reduce dependence on imports.

However, the announcement had caught the industry by surprise and there were fears that supplies could be disrupted at a time when stocks need to be built up for the forthcoming festive season.