New Delhi, April 1 India's imports of telecom equipment from China rose to USD 6,371 million (approximately Rs 59,500 crore) in 2023-24, up from USD 5,553 million in 2019-20, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.
Minister of State for Communications, Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar, in a written reply to the Lok Sabha, said that total imports in the telecom equipment category rose from USD 13,333 million in 2019-20 to USD 17,010 million in 2023-24.
"Imports under the principal commodity 'telecom equipment' have increased from USD 13,333 million in 2019-20 to 17,010 million in 2023-24. Furthermore, imports from China during this period have increased from USD 5,553 million to 6,371 million," the minister said.
To promote domestic manufacturing of telecom equipment, the government has introduced the Public Procurement order to give preference in government procurement for goods and services that meet the minimum domestic value addition criteria.
He also noted the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Telecom and Networking Products, and for Large Scale Electronics Manufacturing (LSEM).
"The Government has taken several steps to reduce the burden of testing, compliance, and certification, particularly for MSMEs, including: the waiver of the evaluation fee under the Mandatory Testing and Certification of Telecommunication Equipment (MTCTE); the extension of the validity of MTCTE certificates from 5 years to 10 years; and the reimbursement of part of testing and certification charges for certain types of entities," he said.