Restrictions on Electronic Imports

NEWS: India imposes import restriction on laptop and tablets; electronic manufacturing experts praise the move

What is in the News?

• The Indian government has introduced immediate restrictions on the imports of personal computers, laptops, and other electronic devices to promote domestic manufacturing.
• India is obligated to its commitment to zero-duty imports under WTO’s Information Technology Agreement (ITA 1). 
• Due to this, the government was unable to check the import of electronic goods, thus impacting its domestic manufacturing. Hence it imposed import restriction

The News Rules

• Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) (Ministry of Commerce) issued a notification saying that any import of laptops, tablets, etc., under Harmonized System of Nomenclature (HSN) 8471 shall be ‘restricted’ and would be allowed against a valid license from DGFT from ‘trusted’ sources.
• Exemption for imports under Baggage Rules, R&D, testing, benchmarking, repair, etc.
• It will likely aim at boosting local production and reducing dependence on imports from China, which accounted for over 75% of India’s laptop and personal computer imports in the previous fiscal year.

Significance

• The decision aligns with the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for IT hardware and seeks to encourage companies to manufacture within India.
• Protection of Critical Information Infrastructure and its security concerns.
• Achievement of the Make-in-India vision
• The restrictions are expected to impact companies like Apple, Samsung, and Acer, potentially leading to increased local manufacturing and potentially affecting consumer prices based on how licensing norms are enforced.

 ITA 1

• The Technology Agreement, known as ITA 1, was established in 1996 with 29 members, including India in 1997. 
• This agreement mandates the removal of customs duties on specific IT products.
• These products, like laptops and computers, are identified by codes called HSN codes, which are part of a global classification system for taxation. 
• HSN stands for Harmonized System of Nomenclature, and it’s managed by the World Customs Organization (WCO).

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