India, Aug. 19 -- The India Cellular & Electronics Association (ICEA), representing the country's leading mobile and electronics manufacturers, has called for mobile phones and their components to be placed under the 5% GST slab designated for essential goods. The association argues that the current 18% GST rate is regressive and fails to reflect the status of mobile phones as necessities for over 900 million Indians.

"Mobile phones are no longer aspirational items, they are essential digital infrastructure, underpinning education, healthcare, financial inclusion, and governance. They must rightly be taxed at 5% GST, aligning with the Hon'ble Prime Minister's GST reform agenda and his vision of building a USD 500 billion electronics ecos...