India on Thursday said it will impose a licensing requirement for imports of laptops, tablets and personal computers with immediate effect, a move that could hit hard the likes of Apple, Dell and Samsung and force them to boost local manufacturing.

Current regulations in India allow companies to import laptops freely, but the new rule mandates a special licence for these products similar to restrictions India imposed in 2020 for inbound TV shipments.

The regulation aims to increase local manufacturing in India and restrict imports from China over security concerns.

India’s electronics imports, which include laptops, tablets and personal computers, stood at $19.7 billion in the April to June period, up 6.25% year-on-year.