India waives customs duty on electronics inputs

The India — India, through the Ministry of Finance, issued three notifications waiving basic customs duty on goods used in the manufacture of display assemblies, lithium-ion cells, and inductor coil modules. The exemptions aim to promote domestic production of electronic devices such as smartphones, laptops, wearables, and smart TVs under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme. The duty waiver is valid until March 31, 2029, for display assemblies and inductor coil modules, while the lithium-ion cell exemption consolidates previous separate exemptions into a technology-neutral framework. Industry experts Rajat Mohan of AMRG Global and Manoj Mishra of Grant Thornton Bharat noted that the move simplifies customs compliance, encourages investments in domestic lithium-ion cell manufacturing, and benefits sectors including battery gigafactories, electric vehicles, consumer electronics, renewable energy, telecom, data centers, medical devices, drones, and industrial automation. Pankaj Mohindroo of the India Cellular and Electronics Association praised the broadening of display assembly exemptions to automotive, medical, and industrial displays.