Apple and Samsung were among the big-name organizations that stopped shipping laptops to India after regulators passed a rule requiring companies to have special licenses in order to import certain types of electronics into the country. The new rule mandates a special license for tablets, personal computers and laptops.

At this time, it is unclear how long it will take technology firms to obtain these licenses, according to The Strait Times.

Shipments that have already been ordered will be allowed into the country without licenses until August 31, 2023, according to a government source that asked to not be identified.

"The move's spirit is to push manufacturing to India. It's not a nudge, it's a push," said Ali Akhtar Jafri, the former director general of MAIT, a non-profit organization representing the information and communications technology sector of India.

Apple, Dell and Samsung — three of the biggest laptop and technology sellers in India — did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.

India’s electronic imports topped out at $19.7 billion during the quarter running from April 2023 to June 2023, a 6.25% year-on-year increase, according to Reuters. A research firm estimated that India’s PC and laptop market is worth $8 billion a year, with almost 66% of those products coming from imported.