According to a news article published in The Times Of India, after the huge success in the production of iPhones in India, now the government is set to make deals further. India is about to manufacture iPads and MacBooks soon. This will also lead to broadening the base related to the incentive scheme for the hardware departments in the IT industries. Recently the PLI or the production Linked Incentives for the IT hardware of about rupees twenty thousand crores against rupees seven thousand three hundred and fifty crores on existing outlay had failed.
Top officials from the IT ministry have told that the government is looking forward to Apple’s manufacturers making the business grow massively in India at a time when the Chinese strategy of plus one is trying to procure the products globally.
In an exclusive interview with the TOI, the officials had told that India has seen massive success with its production of iPhones. Now the top manufacturer of Apple, Wistron, Foxconn, and Pentagon are manufacturing smartphones in India worth billions of US dollars.
The IT ministry which also happens to be the nodal ministry for giving a boost to the manufacturing of electronics in this country has already sent a proposal. It is about enhancing the scheme and the matter now is being scrutinized by the finance and other ministries in this country. The earlier scheme which the Union Cabinet had approved in February 2021, had made a promise about giving incentive support. The support is from one to four percent which is spread across a four-year term.
Now the new scheme is trying to give it a boost by five percent. Although there is a twenty percent import duty tax imposed by the government on smartphones, there is no duty on laptops as it is under the ITA-1 category. The official has further told that they feel that the previous scheme was not enough for meeting certain criteria. Now with a greater outlay of funds and an elaborate plan, the current scheme shall encourage the companies to invest and manufacture in India.
Apple has been very reluctant about manufacturing anything beyond iPhones in India because it tries to maintain harmony with its business ties with China. China not only has the biggest base for production but also proves to be a stronger market for sales too. Apple also feels a little less powerful about its business deals due to a less strong base of suppliers in this country. In comparison to China India has a less strong market prospect. And Apple is also aware of the growing tensions between these two nations.
While the companies are appealing to the government about putting ease over the investors of China in India, they are also updated that it would take some time before the government reaches a decision. The government also knows that giant companies such as Apple, Dell, and HP with their broader client base can put India in the global market.