It's taking forever and a day for Apple to get the green light to open a Flagship store in India, but today India's finance minister has approved a proposal that clarifies how Apple Inc. could open stores in the fast-growing economy without initially having to source components locally, reports Bloomberg. Arun Jaitley ratified a proposal that gives the information technology (IT) ministry the power to label a retailer of a single brand as a provider of cutting-edge technology, the people said, asking not to be identified as the move isn't public. Such a classification would give Apple a three-year exemption from rules that force some foreign retailers to procure 30 percent of components in India, they said.

According to the Indian Economic Times last week, the same IT ministry via Minister Telangana Chandrashekar Rao informed Parliament that Apple had not submitted any proposal to open a manufacturing plant in India. So what comes first the chicken or the egg? The IT Ministry could give Apple the green light now, but will he do so or continue to demand Apple provide them with a time table for an iPhone plant. Confusion remains, so stay tuned as this Bollywood soap opera is unlikely to end anytime soon.

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