Other global IT and electronics manufacturing companies such as Apple, Intel, Google, Lenovo, Dell and HP have recently approached the US government. The companies have asked the US government to ask the Indian administration to reconsider the ban imposed a few days ago on the import of goods such as laptops, tablets and personal computers, ultra-small form factor computers and servers.
According to Economic Times reports, IT companies have asked the US government to 'use every available forum' to ask the Indian government to reconsider its order.
Earlier this month, the Indian government banned the import of goods such as laptops, tablets and personal computers with immediate effect. The government had given information about this by issuing a notification.
It said that for restricted imports, import permission would be given under a valid license. Many companies objected to this decision, after which the government had to delay the implementation of these restrictions by three months till November 1.
According to the report, on August 15, eight US-based trade bodies, including the Consumer Technology Association and the United States Council for International Business, wrote a letter to the US Trade Representative and the US Secretary of Commerce. In which these bodies have asked the US Trade Representative and Secretary of Commerce to ask India to reconsider its decision.
Trade bodies said that the Indian government's adoption of licensing measures has raised concerns about India's credibility as a trade and supply chain partner. The companies said the recent sanctions undermined the shared objective of deepening the bilateral economic relationship between the two countries.
The Government of India, on its part, has defended its decision. Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar said the move is not about enforcing license raj, but ensuring that the Indian tech eco-system uses only trusted parts. Apart from this, India's dependence on imports is reduced and domestic manufacturing is encouraged.
Chandrasekhar had recently said, 'We are increasing the digitization of our economy. We certainly want to make sure that the hardware elements that go into the digital economy are monitored and come from trusted sources. However, this should not have been called a ban or licensing. It should have been called Import Management System.
