New Delhi: The government Friday said it will not immediately curb the import of IT hardware, including laptops, personal computers and tablets, following concerns raised by the industry and consumers.
The Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar said in a Twitter post: “There will be a transition period for this to be put into effect which will be notified soon.”
The clarification comes a day after a government notification imposed a licencing requirement for the import of laptops, tablets, all-in-one personal computers, and ultra-small form factor computers and servers. The government had said this would be with “immediate effect”.
A senior ministry official told ThePrint that the 3 August notification had not banned imports, and that it could be done after obtaining the valid licence.
The official added that the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), under the Ministry of Commerce, will soon issue another notification announcing the extension of the timeline for implementing the restrictions.
This, the official said, would give companies time to apply for and get the new licence needed for imports. Another official said it was likely that the time could be extended by a month.
“The companies will face no problems. DGFT has prepared a portal and companies/traders can apply online for getting a licence. If all details are in order, the DGFT will issue a licence as quickly as in five to ten minutes,” the official said, adding that at least two companies had already sought the import licence via the portal.
Asked about concerns over customs already stopping shipments following Thursday’s order, the official said the ministry was extending all support to the industry for clearing orders in transit.
The official stressed the government’s intention was to keep a track of what items were being imported, and from what geographies to ensure availability of safe and trusted IT hardware for citizens of India.
He added: “With the expansion of the Internet and with more and more Indians coming online, the possibility of the ‘digital nagrik’ being exposed to user harms and criminality has also increased. Various incidents of cyber security threats have been reported… There have been instances where we have had to stop shipments… This is a preventive measure.”
Further, the official said there would be no increase in price with the extended timeline and that companies would get ample time to apply for the licence. There would also be no disruption to the supply chain.
The applicants will be able to get a full year import licence and may apply for additional licences if needed, the official said, adding the DGFT would be issuing a detailed guideline on this.
On Friday morning, Chandrasekhar had said the government’s move to restrict the import of IT hardware was to reduce import dependence, increase domestic manufacturing and ensure that India used trusted hardware and systems.
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