NEW DELHI: Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will try to convince the finance ministry it should approve Apple ’s plans to set up its own stores in the country without having to comply with sourcing requirements.Meanwhile, the Foreign Investment Promotion Board ( FIPB ) has written to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion ( DIPP ) asking for a definition of the term ‘cutting-edge’ technology, said a senior government official.The iPhone maker had sought exemption to the 30% local sourcing norm on the basis that its products represented cutting-edge technology; this had been rejected by FIPB.“We had recommended Apple’s case and finance has not approved it,” Sitharaman said on Monday. “If there are concerns we will address them.” The government is examining whether there is need for further clarification, she said.“We are asking to waive the sourcing norm only for singlebrand retail where there is cutting-edge technology,” the minister told reporters. “We are not touching manufacturing. In single brand, already the market has the product and people are buying it.”The decision on Apple-owned stores followed a rebuff to the company’s plans to sell refurbished phones, which appears to be a key element of CEO Tim Cook’s India strategy based on comments he made during a recent visit to the country during which he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi.FIPB has said it will be difficult to grant exemption from local sourcing for single brand retail proposals in the absence of clear guidelines.“There is a need for clarity on what ‘cutting edge’ implies,” said the senior official cited above. “FIPB has written to the DIPP to draw up some broad guidelines for examination of requests seeking waiver of 30% mandatory sourcing from India if they sold cutting-edge tech products under single-brand stores.”FIPB has said Apple can set up fully owned stores but there would be no relaxation of the sourcing rule as sought by the company. The board is an inter-ministerial body that vets foreign direct investment (FDI) proposals in sectors that are on the approval route.Sitharaman said the government was against the sale of refurbished phones.“On Apple’s proposal to sell refurbished phones in India, we wouldn't be in favour of used or remodelled or used goods. We are not in favour of that,” she said.Single-brand retail proposals are vetted by DIPP, which also carries out inter-ministerial consultations, and then sends these on to FIPB. This involves another round of vetting before proposals are put before the finance minister for his signature.As per the revised FDI policy announced in November 2015, companies that bring cuttingedge and state-of-the-art technology to India can open single-brand outlets without conforming to the 30% local sourcing rule subject to government approval.A number of other companies including Chinese handset makers Xiaomi and LeEco have also sought similar waivers under the new policy.A three-member special panel set up by DIPP to look at all such applications had recommended Apple’s case to FIPB, favouring a waiver.The panel comprised the DIPP secretary, a Niti Aayog member and a representative of the relevant ministry--telecom and information technology.However, FIPB felt the panel lacked technical expertise and the recommendation had been made in the absence of any explicit guidelines on what ‘cutting edge’ meant.This would mean discretion playing a role, something that the government is keen to weed out from the overall decision-making process.Apple currently sells its products in India through a network of franchisee-owned stores.The FDI policy on singlebrand retail mandates 30% local sourcing for investments of 51% or more.This has to be preferably from micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), village and cottage industries, artisans and craftsmen. The government had allowed 100% FDI in single-brand retail in January 2012.