In accordance to a government notice issued on Aug 3, India has restricted imports of laptops, tablets, and personal computers with immediate effect in an effort to boost domestic manufacturing.   "Their import would be allowed against a valid licence for restricted imports," the notice stated.

Electronics imports, which include laptops, tablets, and personal computers, totaled $19.7 billion in April-June, a 6.25 percent increase year on year. Electronics imports account for 7% to 10% of total merchandise imports in the country.   "The spirit of the move is to shift manufacturing to India." It's a push, not a nudge," said Ali Akhtar Jafri, former general director of the electronics industry body MAIT.

India has been attempting to promote domestic manufacturing by providing production-related incentives in over two dozen industries, including electronics.   It has extended the deadline for companies to apply for its $2 billion manufacturing incentive scheme, which is designed to attract large-scale investments in IT hardware manufacturing, including laptops, tablets, personal computers, and servers.