She said the government agrees that some components required by Apple can’t be immediately manufactured in India and so it has made a list of products that can be imported duty free till they are ready to be produced locally. Apple also has submitted a list of components on which it is demanding duty exemptions for its suppliers. The government is trying to find a common ground keeping the interests of both sides in mind, she said.“They are saying that some of their components cannot be manufactured in India because that requires certain kind of manufacturing capability. Our roadmap for indigenisation also envisages only those products that can be (locally) manufactured.There are many products that we also admit that cannot be manufactured, so they can be imported duty free,” said Sundararajan, adding that Apple is also ready to manufacture some components locally through partners. “So Apple’s roadmap is slightly different (from ours) and we are looking at harmonising it.”

Source: Economic Times May 23, 2017 20:37 UTC