LOCATING “NORTHEAST” IN INDIA’S “ACT EAST POLICY”

Abstract

The recalibration of the erstwhile Look East policy to Act East Policy has forgotten the most important domestic driver of the policy- the development of Northeast. Where is “Northeast” in a decade of India’s “Act East Policy”? The article explores a decade of AEP to answer this question. It seems that the “Act East Policy,” which was aimed at making the earlier policy more action-oriented, has missed the “Northeast agenda,” which was the main reason for culture, commerce and connectivity towards the Southeast Asian economies. Past literature has celebrated the role of connectivity in the region’s development; this article will critically analyse the implementation of India’s AEP. This article reveals significant gaps in ‘policymaking’ and ‘policy orientation,’ which must be addressed by new policy implementation.