India will offer up to $5 billion (roughly Rs. 42,221 crore) in incentives to companies to make components locally for gadgets from mobiles to laptops, two government officials said, in a bid to bolster the burgeoning industry and wean off supplies from China.

India’s electronic production has more than doubled in the last six years to $115 billion (roughly Rs. 9,71,095 crore) in 2024, led by growth in mobile manufacturing by global firms such as Apple and Samsung. It is now the world’s fourth-largest smart phone supplier.

But the sector faces criticism for its heavy reliance on imported components from countries such as China.

“The new scheme will incentivise production of key components like printed circuit boards that will improve domestic value addition and deepen local supply chains for a range of electronics,” one of the two officials said.

The incentives are likely to be offered under a new scheme expected to be launched in two to three months, said the officials, who asked not to be identified as details of the scheme are not yet public.

The scheme is likely to offer incentives totalling between $4-$5 billion to global or local firms which qualify.

The plan, designed by the India’s electronics ministry, has identified components eligible for incentives and is in its final stages.

The finance ministry will approve the scheme’s final allocation soon, the first official added, with the sources expecting it to be launched in the next 2-3 months.

India’s electronics ministry and finance ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

India is aiming to expand its electronics manufacturing to $500 billion (roughly Rs. 42,22,075 crore) by the fiscal year 2030, including production of components worth $150 billion (roughly Rs. 12,66,629 crore), according to the government’s top policy think tank Niti Aayog.

India imported electronics, telecoms gear, and electrical products worth $89.8 billion (roughly Rs. 7,58,334 crore) in the fiscal year 2024, with more than half sourced from China and Hong Kong, according to an analysis by private think tank GTRI.

“This scheme is coming at a time when it is critical to promote component manufacturing that will help us aim for a global-scale of electronics production,” Pankaj Mohindroo, head of India’s Cellular and Electronics Association, said.

© Thomson Reuters 2024

India will offer up to $5 billion (roughly Rs. 42,221 crore) in incentives to companies to make components locally for gadgets from mobiles to laptops, two government officials said, in a bid to bolster the burgeoning industry and wean off supplies from China.

India’s electronic production has more than doubled in the last six years to $115 billion (roughly Rs. 9,71,095 crore) in 2024, led by growth in mobile manufacturing by global firms such as Apple and Samsung. It is now the world’s fourth-largest smart phone supplier.

But the sector faces criticism for its heavy reliance on imported components from countries such as China.

“The new scheme will incentivise production of key components like printed circuit boards that will improve domestic value addition and deepen local supply chains for a range of electronics,” one of the two officials said.

The incentives are likely to be offered under a new scheme expected to be launched in two to three months, said the officials, who asked not to be identified as details of the scheme are not yet public.

The scheme is likely to offer incentives totalling between $4-$5 billion to global or local firms which qualify.

The plan, designed by the India’s electronics ministry, has identified components eligible for incentives and is in its final stages.

The finance ministry will approve the scheme’s final allocation soon, the first official added, with the sources expecting it to be launched in the next 2-3 months.

India’s electronics ministry and finance ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

India is aiming to expand its electronics manufacturing to $500 billion (roughly Rs. 42,22,075 crore) by the fiscal year 2030, including production of components worth $150 billion (roughly Rs. 12,66,629 crore), according to the government’s top policy think tank Niti Aayog.

India imported electronics, telecoms gear, and electrical products worth $89.8 billion (roughly Rs. 7,58,334 crore) in the fiscal year 2024, with more than half sourced from China and Hong Kong, according to an analysis by private think tank GTRI.

“This scheme is coming at a time when it is critical to promote component manufacturing that will help us aim for a global-scale of electronics production,” Pankaj Mohindroo, head of India’s Cellular and Electronics Association, said.

© Thomson Reuters 2024

Apple rolled out the stable version of macOS 15 update, also known as macOS Sequoia, to all users on Monday. However, it appears the update has created some unexpected issues for users, especially around third-party security tools. As per a report, the Cupertino-based giant’s operating system (OS) is breaking down network-based security software by Microsoft, CrowdStrike, and others. Since the security tool makers offer enterprise-grade tools, the update could have put businesses running exclusively on Mac devices at risk. Currently, the cause of the issue is unknown.

TechCrunch reports that the macOS Sequoia update has impacted the functionality of security tools developed by Microsoft, CrowdStrike, SentinelOne, and other manufacturers. The publication cited a Mac-focused Slack channel where many users complained about the issue.

Gadgets 360 staff members also found Reddit multiple threads where users found that the security apps were not working after updating macOS. Some claimed the lack of support for the security tools could be because of numerous glitches in the operating system.

One user said, “Amazing it isn’t supported yet. Beta’s have been available for a while, dev builds even earlier – I assume they have a dev account. Unless something is really, really, broken on Apple’s side – there isn’t an excuse.”

The main concern with this issue is that Mac devices are used by many organisations exclusively, and issues with security systems can pose a major risk. As per the report, one CrowdStrike sales engineer mentioned in the abovementioned Slack room that the security tools will not be supported despite the company’s best efforts on day one. It is unclear whether the tool is currently supported or not.

Another Reddit user claimed that the macOS Sequoia issues are affecting apps outside of the security tools as well. The user found that almost 90 percent of the apps were suffering from issues in the M1 Max-powered MacBook Pro. “Also met the wifi issue, fully cannot access the internet even tho can connect to phone hotspot[..]if it is still like this, then tomorrow I will do nothing at work,” he added.

Will Dormann, a security researcher, posted on Mastodon that he faced issues with DNS for several apps as well as the firewall working properly on his device. So far, Apple has not issued any statement regarding when these issues will be fixed.