BJP government should enable PC penetration via subsidy: MAIT

The newly-installed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government should look at increasing personal computer (PC) penetration in Indian households by providing subsidies, the Manufacturers' Association for Information Technology (MAIT) said Monday.

"The BJP should look at increasing PC penetration in Indian households by enabling infrastructure, providing low-cost loans and discount vouchers for purchasing PCs," MAIT said in a statement.

The apex IT hardware body said although the new government will be faced with new demands and expectations, it has to look for resources and expertise to revive economic growth as also renew investments, particularly in the technology space.

"Although Narendra Modi has actively spoken on manufacturing, we suggest his government put in place a manufacturing ecosystem immediately by ushering in policy reforms, regulatory frameworks and removing inverted duty structure to facilitate investments in the country," Amar Babu, MAIT president, said.

"Since Narendra Modi has actively advocated technology penetration and digital literacy, we wish the government build an intelligent and confident India by fostering technology adoption, sprucing up infrastructure, ensuring last mile connectivity, reduce VAT (value added tax) and provide access to easy bank loans in the context of ICT," Debjani Ghosh, vice president of MAIT, said.

The government should jointly work with the industry on self-regulation, MAIT said, adding that: "Implementation woes in Compulsory Registration order, delays in granting of EPR authorizations by state pollution boards, no fixed process for registrations and unclear deadlines badly impact the industry. The IT industry has always been a trendsetter in terms of quality and safety."