Following in the footsteps of Apple, Chinese mobile manufacturer LeEco has requested the Indian government to relax the 30 percent local sourcing norm applicable to foreign retailers with more than 49 percent foreign direct investment (FDI).
LeEco, which entered the online retail market in January this year, has applied to the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) for permission to set up single-brand retail shops in India.
"We have also asked the government to give us an exemption on it, on the 30% (local sourcing) norm. We haven't heard from them as yet on where the status is. But we believe the application is on right now, so it's really with the government to come back to us," Atul Jain, the COO of Smart Electronics, LeEco India, was quoted as saying by ET Tech.
The current norms laid down by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) mandate that single brand foreign retailers with more than 51 percent FDI should source 30 percent of the "value of goods purchased" from India, preferably the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
Apple may get relaxation from following the rule for the first two to three years, according to a Times report. The DIPP had recommended Apple's request as a special case to the Finance Ministry citing that the company's manufacturing involved "cutting-edge technology".
Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi withdrew its application for the waiver, an earlier report from The Economic Times had said.
