The Ministry of Commerce in India has decided to postpone the implementation of import limitations on laptops, tablets, personal computers, and servers, TechCrunch is reporting.
The decision comes after the abrupt regulation caused chaos and uncertainty among giants in the electronic industry.
According to India’s Deputy IT Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, a “transition period” would be provided before implementing the amended import policy. Companies will be given at least one month to secure the necessary licenses.
The Indian government had declared that the new restrictions on importing consumer electronic devices would take immediate effect. However, it has now allowed import against a valid license for restricted products.
Additionally, the restriction will not apply to passengers carrying the mentioned devices in their baggage.
Major computer vendors like Dell, Apple, and Samsung swiftly responded to the notification by freezing all new imports on Thursday.
In recent years, India has been encouraging companies with incentives to boost domestic production. This effort has successfully attracted numerous smartphone manufacturers and is now gaining the interest of chipmakers and semiconductor producers.
In May, the Narendra Modi government introduced a $2 billion scheme aimed at promoting local businesses that produce hardware like laptops, PCs, servers, and related edge computing kits.
This was an upgrade from the previous program, in which the government was willing to spend $892 million.
According to a tweet from Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the government’s objective is to ensure trusted hardware and systems, reduce import dependence, and increase domestic manufacturing in this category of products.
