‘Govt move to mandate registering chip imports may lead to red tapism, delays’

New Delhi: The government’s move to track chip imports to India could be a good data collection exercise for policy making to encourage domestic manufacturing but adds the burden of extra checks on original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) who fear that lax implementation may cause import hurdles in future.

“Government wants to track the data of IC (integrated circuit) chip imports. Thereafter, the government can assess the viability of a semiconductor fab in the country and downstream ecosystem. The idea is good but it may lead to a lot of paperwork for the industry and red tapism could flourish at the lowest level,” a top executive at an Indian manufacturer said.