MeitY to meet IT hardware firms next week to discuss import rules

The Ministry of Electronics and IT is planning to meet IT hardware company to work on import rules for tablet, personal computers, etc, next week, according to official sources.

The government has extended the existing approval system for import of certain IT hardware products, including laptops and tablets, for three months from September 30 to December 31.

"Meity will call IT hardware companies next week to share the plan it has for import of IT hardware," a Meity official told PTI.

IT hardware imports stood at USD 8.4 billion in 2023-24 against the authorisation of about USD 9.5 billion. Most of these imports were from China.

On August 3, 2023, the government first imposed import restrictions on laptops, tablets, all-in-one personal computers, ultra-small form factor computers, and servers.

After the industry flagged concerns over the curbs, the government in October last year rolled out an import management/authorisation of these products.

The system is aimed at monitoring inbound shipments of these items into the country without hurting market supply.

On November 1, 2023, the government cleared over 100 applications, including those of Apple , Dell, and Lenovo, which sought permission for imports of these IT hardware products worth nearly USD 10 billion, on the first day of implementation of the new system.

The new license regime is applicable to laptops, personal computers (including tablet computers), microcomputers, large or mainframe computers, and certain data processing machines to ensure India's trusted supply chain.

The country has imported personal computers, including laptops, worth USD 5.33 billion in 2022-23 compared to USD 7.37 billion in 2021-22.