Apple executives will meet with ministry officials on 25 January to discuss Make in India plans

Various executives from Apple will reportedly be meeting with Indian ministry officials on 25 January to discuss exemptions for the manufacture of its phones in India.

The Economic Times reports that departments of industrial policy and promotion, environment, finance, IT and others will be present at the meeting.

India’s existing make-in-India grants exemptions to companies that manufacture products in India using materials sourced from the country. Apple is seeking tax and duty concessions along with various manufacturing exemptions as well.

Apple sought exemptions on the 30 percent local sourcing mandate, which was denied. Apple’s attempts to import and sell refurbished iPhones in India  were also put on hold.

The company is already working on setting up Apple-branded stores and has sought concessions in that regard as well. Another point of contention is an Indian law requiring all devices manufactured in India to have regulatory information on the device itself. Apple is strongly opposed to this as it believes that the aesthetics of its flagship product comes first.

Sources tell The Economic Times that Apple has no intention of sourcing locally in India as all components are manufactured elsewhere.

We recently reported that Apple OEM Winstron had plans to set up shop in Bengaluru .

A great number of smartphone manufacturers already manufacture their phones in India and comply with existing guidelines. In fact, we think that if Apple’s demands are fulfilled, it could not bade well for the whole Make in India philosophy .

What Apple is seeking is unusual, but then, Apple isn’t just any other company. Whether the government complies with Apple’s requests remains to be seen.