India Extends Deadline for Laptop Import Regulations: Details of New Rules
The deadline for India’s laptop import restrictions has been extended as manufacturers find it difficult to comply with the new regulations in a short period of time. The first deadline was set for November 1 this year, which would hardly be enough for brands to comply.
The new deadline is currently unclear, but conditions are said to be changing so that brands such as Apple, Samsung and Dell can continue to supply their products and meet the potential demand that will arise during the Christmas period in the coming weeks.
The decision to postpone the deadline appears to have been taken after IT hardware industry officials met with Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who is the Minister for Electronics and Information Technology. Restrictions were placed on the import of laptops to encourage local production, which does not happen overnight.
Brands such as Apple and Samsung have reportedly spoken of limited business feasibility to setting up in the country, but it is possible that the company could use India as a manufacturing hub for its exports if necessary. The country is also in the process of establishing a crown worth of PLI, giving manufacturers an incentive to produce domestically.
New regulations for laptop manufacturers on November 1st intended to limit the importation of laptop products and brands had to register with the import department to get permission to import the products. These changes would have forced companies to reduce their imports, which could have put a huge strain on product demand and forced retailers to raise laptop prices.
The existence of a mechanism to support the import registry is paramount and it is evident that the government was not confident of removing it in the next 30 days.
The expansion will certainly come as a relief to brands, but just because the restrictions won’t go into effect in November doesn’t mean it won’t happen in the next six months. For now, these brands can continue to operate as normal, but change is imminent and sooner or later companies will have to comply with these restrictions and start manufacturing in India.
