- By Prateek Levi
- Sat, 01 Feb 2025 05:12 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Budget 2025 Mobile Phones, LED & LCD TVs: On February 1, 2025, India’s Union Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, presented the general budget for the country’s 2025-2026 financial year. This marks her eighth consecutive budget. One of the key highlights was her announcement that the prices of mobile phones in India will soon decrease. Along with mobile phones, the cost of lithium-ion batteries used in these devices will also drop. Additionally, the prices of LED and LCD TVs are set to come down, alongside other electronic appliances, bringing relief to consumers.
The decision is expected to significantly lower the prices of domestically manufactured electronic products. Mobile companies, which had urged the government to reduce import duties, will be pleased with this move as it directly benefits the customers by making these products more affordable.
Sitharaman also proposed an increase in the basic customs duty on interactive flat panel displays from 10% to 20%, while reducing the duty on open cells and other components to 5%. This step is aimed at promoting the “Make in India” initiative. To encourage the domestic production of LCD and LED TVs, she also suggested exempting them from customs duties, a move that had been previously reduced from 5% to 2.5%.
In a further boost to the manufacturing sector, the Finance Minister announced that 35 additional goods for electric vehicle (EV) battery production and 28 more goods for mobile phone battery manufacturing will be added to the list of exempted capital goods. As she stated in her speech, “In the list of exempted capital goods, I propose to add 35 additional capital goods for EV battery manufacturing and 28 additional capital goods for mobile phone battery manufacturing. This will boost domestic manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries for both mobile phones and electric vehicles.”
Additionally, Sitharaman promised to expand broadband connectivity to rural schools as part of the BharatNet project. By December 2024, 6.92 lakh kilometers of optical fiber cable had been laid, and 2.14 lakh gram panchayats were made service-ready, with plans to extend satellite connections to remote areas.
