New Delhi: The Union government on Thursday (October 19) officially announced that it would not be sticking to its earlier plan of imposing import restrictions on laptops, tablets, and certain types of computers.In a notification, the government announced a new ‘import management system’ for IT hardware. According to The Indian Express, under the new regulations, “IT hardware companies will be required to register and disclose data related to their imports, and countries from which they import, among other things.”The industry had been worried by a previous licensing notification, and the fact that no such licensing is mentioned is likely to come as a relief. The Union government’s decision also comes close on the heels of the US, China, South Korea and Taiwan raising concerns about India’s plans at a recent WTO meeting.On August 3, the government had imposed import restrictions on laptops, tablets, and certain types of computers with immediate effect, citing “security reasons” and the need to promote domestic manufacturing. At the same time, the government had said that those wanting to import these items would need a license starting November 1. However, within a few weeks, it was reported that it was likely to roll back this decision.Director General of Foreign Trade Santosh Kumar Saranagi told reporters on Thursday that the new online authorisation system will be faceless and contactless, and there will be no hassles for importers to fill in their details, Livemint reported.