Source: India Today
The government has maintained restrictions on the import of unregistered or non-compliant products as per an official notification from the Commerce Ministry.
“There is no implication of this notification. The import policy for these categories in question were restricted anyway, so its status quo,” Reuters quoted a government official aware of the matter as saying.
For LED products and DC/AC supplied control gear for LED modules, the authorities will randomly select consignments and pick up samples for testing. These samples will then be sent to labs to check if they meet certain safety standards.
Customs will only approve consignments that comply with these standards. Consignments that do not meet the standards will be sent back or destroyed at the importer’s cost, as per the amended rules.
Goods that do not meet the Bureau of Indian Standards or labelling requirements will have to be re-exported or will be disposed of by government agencies.
The government imposed restrictions on certain IT hardware items in August 2023, raising concerns among domestic and foreign companies.
The government adjusted the restrictions on laptop and computer imports in October. Now, importers can bring in these items with an ‘authorisation’, specifying the quantity and value. Concerns from the industry led the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) to clarify that there are no import restrictions on certain IT hardware products, such as desktop computers. However, the import of laptops, tablets, all-in-one personal computers, and ultra-small form factor computers is restricted. Imports of these goods require import authorisation.
