The government imposed a licensing requirement for the import of laptops, tablets (Representational)
Restrictions on the import of laptops, tablets, all-in-one personal computers, and ultra-small computers and servers will not be imposed immediately and there will be a transition period to implement them, the centre said today.
This transition period can be up to four months, keeping in mind the already-ordered shipments that are in transit.
"There will be a transition period for this to be put into effect which will be notified soon," Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar said in a tweet.
The clarification comes a day after the government announced the curbs and said they will be implemented with immediate effect.
The government, on Thursday, imposed a licensing requirement for the import of laptops, tablets, and personal computers to help promote domestic manufacturing of these products under the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for IT hardware.
The curbs will also help curtail the import of these goods from China and Korea, reported news agency PTI.
A government official, speaking to the agency, said there are several reasons behind the imposition of these restrictions, the primary being "to ensure that the security of our citizens is fully safeguarded".
The restrictions, once imposed, will make it mandatory for companies planning to bring laptops and computers for sale in India to seek permission or license from the government for their inbound shipments.
The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) issued the notification, which said that the restrictions will be imposed under HSN Code 8471 on seven categories of electronic gadgets.