Top multinationals such as Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP, HP Inc., Dell Inc., Foxconn Technology Group, Acer Inc., and Thomson, as well as domestic firms such as Dixon Technologies (India) Ltd, VVDN Technologies, and Netweb Technologies, are among 38 applicants for India's IT Hardware PLI 2.0 scheme, signalling a victory for the government's efforts to encourage local manufacturing of laptops, tablets, and servers.

Ashwini Vaishnaw, the minister of electronics, information technology, and telecommunications, stated on August 30 evening that the response to the scheme had been greater than expected. He stated that the government anticipates 4,000 crore in investments, 75,000 direct jobs, and 3.35 trillion in incremental production.

The development comes just weeks after the Centre imposed – and then delayed – a licencing requirement on the import of laptops and personal computers, causing major electronics hardware manufacturers to panic. The relocation was postponed until October 31.

While the scheme's expected incremental production at the end of six years is estimated to be Rs 3.35 lakh crore, it could result in an incremental investment of only Rs 4,000 crore over those six years. According to Union Minister for Electronics and IT Ashwini Vaishnaw, the manufacturing process will create 75,000 direct jobs.