Govt allows all-year import of laptops, tablets for 2025: Report
The government has granted laptop and tablet import approvals for the entire 2025 year, but also with a mid-year review option to prevent market shortages
Taking a flexible approach to laptop and tablet imports for 2025, the government is reportedly granting approvals for the entire year with a mid-year review option to avoid market shortages, according to multiple industry executives cited in a report.
There will also an estimated 5 per cent reduction in annual imports, which is proposed to be substituted by local manufacturing, according to an Economic Times report. This proposal is expected to get formalised by the second half of the calendar year 2025.
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This is because by this time, local laptop production will begin for all brands and a consensus between the government and industry on the base year is also to be firmed up for the calculation process by when, the mid-year review of brand-wise demand and supply for laptops and tablets takes place, according to the report.
If demand exceeds the currently approved stock level, the government will approve additional imports.
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Likewise, local production targets will get cut if demand does not pick up.
HT couldn't independently verify the information.
All of this comes after the calendar year 2024 saw free imports of laptops and tablets after plans for import control through a licensing regime got deferred.
However, the brands still had to seek import authorisation at that time as well since the centre wanted to monitor imports and promote local manufacturing.
One of the reasons for the new 2025 policy being liberal is to give enough time for the firms to shift to local production.
Import approvals which the manufacturers can take are valid from January 1 to December 31, 2025.
