New Delhi, Aug 5: Citing “security risks”, the government has imposed import restrictions on laptops, tablets, personal computers, and other similar data-processing units.Although China was not mentioned, the restrictions would mean such items could be sourced only from “trusted partners” via a licensing regime.
In FY23, India imported $8.8 billion worth of the seven items now under the licensing regime. In that amount, products worth $5.1 billion (58 per cent) were sourced from China.
The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) issued the notification, clarifying that airline passengers returning to India could still carry such items purchased abroad.
“The said restriction shall not be applicable to imports under baggage rules, as amended from time to time,” it stated.
Exemption will also apply to purchases of such items from e-commerce portals, by post or courier.
“Imports shall be subject to payment of duty as applicable,” the DGFT said.
The move coincides with India’s efforts to become a major electronics manufacturer. The government has initiated the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for information technology hardware to encourage domestic manufacturing of such items.
A senior government official said the decision was primarily driven by the need to ensure citizens’ security.
“Our digital citizens need an ecosystem where they are not exposed to machines that might pose a security risk. Some hardware could potentially compromise sensitive and personal data,” he said.