India has restricted imports of laptops, tablets and personal computers with immediate effect, according to a government notice on Thursday, in a bid to push local manufacturing, reports Reuters.
"Their import would be allowed against a valid licence for restricted imports," the notice said.
In April-June, electronics imports, which include laptops, tablets and personal computers, was $19.7 billion, up 6.25% year-on-year.
"The move's spirit is to push manufacturing to India. It's not a nudge, it's a push," said Ali Akhtar Jafri, former director general at electronics industry body Manufacturers' Association of Information Technology.
Dell, Acer, Samsung, LG, Panasonic, Apple Inc, Lenovo and HP Inc are some of the key companies selling laptops in the Indian market and a substantial portion are imported from countries such as China.