New Delhi, Oct 16 (KNN) India will not impose restrictions on laptop imports and roll back its earlier plan to do so, Trade Secretary Sunil Barthwal told a press conference last week.

This comes months after abruptly announcing such plans which came under criticism from industry and the US.

He said the government “only wants importers to be on close watch”.

The import licensing regime, announced on August 3, aimed to “ensure trusted hardware and systems” enter India, but it was delayed by three months after objections from industry and criticism by Washington.

It would affect companies like Dell (DELL.N), HP (HPE.N), Apple (AAPL.O), Samsung (005930.KS) and Lenovo (0992.HK).

The government is holding consultations with the industry and a new order on laptop imports will be announced by the end of October, Directorate General of Foreign Trade Santosh Kumar Sarangi said.

The officials did not disclose details about the new plans. 

(KNN Bureau)