Govt raises price cap for officers' electronic devices to ₹1.8 lakh

The central government has raised the price ceiling of laptops, tablets, or similar devices for its eligible officers to Rs 1.8 lakh plus taxes, and officials can retain them for personal use after four years. The Finance Ministry's Expenditure Department on November 10 issued revised guidelines on the purchase of Note Book /Laptop by ministries/departments of the central government. Central government employees of Sections Officer rank and above will be eligible for the devices. "...it has been decided that laptop; tablet; notepad; ultra-book; notebook; devices of similar categories may be issued to eligible officers for discharge of official work," it said. The new guidelines replace the July 2023 instructions on similar purchases of gadgets. The 2023 guidelines explicitly mentioned the purchase of mobile devices, which is not mentioned in the November 10, 2026, office memorandum. As per the new guidelines, the cost of the device shall not be more than Rs 1.50 lakh + taxes. Howe