MUMBAI: Even as India has one of the highest cable TV homes in the world, it is set to get even higher with the latest announcement from Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for Budget 2014.

While speaking in the Parliament, Jaitley stated that electronic goods such as TV sets and personal computers will be cheaper. He has announced proposal to make cathode ray tube (CRT) TVs cheaper as well as encourage manufacture of LED and LCD panels of TVs.

The basic custom duty on LED panels below 19 inches will be made nil. CRT TVs have also been exempted from custom duty to help the poor.  The announcements have been made to boost the domestic manufacturing sector.

"Cathode ray TVs are used by weaker sections who cannot afford to buy more expensive flat panel TVs. I propose to exempt colour picture tubes from basic customs duty to make cathode ray TVs cheaper. The duty concession will help revive manufacturing of TVs in the SME sector and create employment opportunities. At the same time, to encourage production of LCD and LED TVs below 19 inches in India, I propose to reduce the basic customs duty on LCD and LED TV panels of below 19 inches from 10 per cent to Nil. Further, to encourage manufacture of LCD and LED TV panels, I propose to exempt from basic customs duty specified inputs used in their manufacture," said Jaitely. 

Soon after the announcement, global analytical company providing ratings, research and risk and policy advisory services CRISIL tweeted that after this, the price of LCD/LED TVs (that constitute 51 per cent of sales) will reduce by Rs 1000.

PricewaterhouseCoopers leader- entertainment & media practice India Smita Jha added, "We also believe the reductions in customs duty on LCD and LEC of sub-19 panels will also indirectly provide filip to the national digitisation agenda."