New Delhi, July 9 (IANS): The government has rolled out additional customs duty relief measures aimed at reducing the cost of importing components and capital goods used in the production of electronic products such as smartphones and lithium-ion batteries, in a move to strengthen domestic manufacturing. The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has issued three separate notifications expanding duty exemptions and concessional duty benefits. Under the revised measures, five components used in manufacturing display assemblies for automotive, medical and industrial applications have been exempted from basic customs duty until March 31, 2029. These include cells, flexible printed circuit assemblies (FPCAs), backlight units, frames and anisotropic conductive film (ACF). The exemption does not apply to display assemblies used in mobile phones, smartwatches, smart meters, television panels and interactive flat-panel displays.
In a separate notification, the government extended zero customs duty until March 31, 2029, on six components used in manufacturing inductor coil modules for wireless charging in mobile phones. Another notification expanded the list of machinery eligible for concessional customs duty for lithium-ion cell manufacturing to 85 capital goods, including coating machines, winding machines, welding systems, testing equipment and drying systems. The measures are aimed at lowering production costs, improving competitiveness, encouraging greater domestic value addition and supporting the growth of India’s electronics, battery manufacturing and electric mobility ecosystem as part of the government’s broader manufacturing push.