Abstract
India’s engagement with East and South East Asian countries since the 1980s has largely been phrased as “Look East Policy” which subsumes within it India’s economic, social and strategic engagement with ASEAN and Far Eastern countries. Although the Government of India has recognized the importance of overland connectivity to South East Asia through Northeast India, the region is yet to take centre stage in the larger framework of the Policy. Notwithstanding the security concerns of Government of India, the region also has its own deficits in terms of weak intraregional connectivity, low urbanization, a weak manufacturing base and low economic growth. There is need for prioritization of action in respect of connectivity, harmonization of policies and developing an integrated market within the region to be part of regional cooperation.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
It is worth mentioning here that Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, emphasized that economic factors are more important for India in evolving its foreign policy. He stated that, until the economic policies of India are well framed, foreign policies would remain vague and directionless. After the collapse of the USSR and the financial crisis of the early 1990s, economic factors became prominent in writing India’s foreign policy.
- 2.
The border states of Sagaing, Kachin and Chin regions in Myanmar, which are mountainous and endowed with rivers and creeks, have diverse resources, for example water, forest, oil and gas, coal and several other mineral products with similar infrastructure bottlenecks, which have restricted the expansion of cross-border regional networks.
- 3.
The very fact that the North Eastern Council set up in 1971 under an Act of Parliament was an advisory body in the matter of economic development—under the Ministry of Home Affairs until its amendment in 2002 when it was made into a regional planning body and placed under the Department of Development of the North East Region (DONER)—reflects the prolonged obsession with security concerns by the Central Government regarding the region.
- 4.
The records of the Ahom Buranjis note that Sukapha was a prince by birth and that his country of origin was Maulung in upper Burma. He was the leader of the body of Shans who laid the foundation of the Ahom Kingdom in Assam. Historically, these people are known for their valley-dwelling and wet-rice-growing character. The particular branch to which the Ahoms belong is known as the Tai-mao, or the Mao section of the Tai, but widely known by the Burmans as the Shan. The Ahom Chronicles, or Buranjis make specific mention that the Ahoms were led by Prince (Chao-lung) Sukapha who left Mong Mao-lung in AD 1215. Sukapha’s followers included several nobles (thao-mong), a number of officers of various ranks, and 9000 men, women and children. After a westward march for 13 years and staying at several places for periods ranging from one to three years, they arrived at Patkai in AD 1228. Posting a governor at the Khamjang Valley, their first territorial unit, situated on the shore of the Nongjang Lake, Sukapha and the rest of his party at first followed the Namrup, then the Buri Dihing (Nam-jin), thereafter the Brahmaputra and the Dikhow before finally arriving at Charaideo, which became his permanent capital.
- 5.
Alexander Mackenzie (1842–1902) joined the Indian Civil Service in 1862. His career began in Bengal, first as an assistant magistrate and then as a secretary to the local government.
- 6.
Of these 42 land custom stations (LCSs), 33 are with Bangladesh, five are with Myanmar, three are with Bhutan and one with China. Of the 26 functional LCSs, 21 are with Bangladesh, two each with Myanmar and Bhutan, and one with China.
- 7.
RBI/2015–16/230, dated November 5, 2015. RBI Circular No. 26, A. P. (DIR Series) on Switching from Barter Trade to Normal Trade at the Indo-Myanmar Border, issued on November, 2005.
- 8.
Barter trade was initially permitted to facilitate the exchange of locally produced commodities along the Indo-Myanmar border. As such, these transactions were not captured in the banking system or reflected in the trade statistics. ‘However, over a period of time the trade basket has diversified and an adequate banking presence is in place to support normal trade with Myanmar’ (RBI, A. P. DIR Series; Circular No. 26, dated November 05, 2015).
- 9.
Look East Policy and the North Eastern States, Government of India, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, February 15, 2011; this document by the NEC gives a brief outline of how NEI can be posited within the LEP framework.
References
Annual Report of Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, 1995–96.
Athukorala, P. (2013). How India fits into global production sharing: Experiences, prospects and policy options. In India Policy Forum 2013–14 (Vol. 10). New Delhi: Sage.
Aung, T. T., & Myint, S. (2001). Challenges to democratisation in Burma: Perspective on multilateral and bilateral responses. Published by International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance.
Bhattacharjee, J. (1980). The Eastern Himalayan trade of Assam in the colonial period. Paper presented at the First Session of North East India History Association, Shillong.
ICC. http://www.indianchamber.org/border-trade. Border trade, Indian Chambers of Commerce.
Choudhury, S. (2006). North East India and the look East policy: A contextual analysis. Dialogue, 7(3), 134–156.
Das, K. (2012). Understanding sluggish industrial process in Northeast India: How do the industrial policies help? (OKDISCD Research Paper Series 02/2012). Guwahati: OKDISCD.
De, P. (2011). Why is trade at borders costly in South Asia? Contemporary South Asia, 19(4), 441–464.
Expansion of North East India’s trade and investment with Bangladesh and Myanmar, an assessment of the opportunities and constraints, RIS Research and Information System for Developing Countries Ministry of DONER, 2011.
Government of Manipur. (2006, September 29). A note on the occasion of visit of Sri Jairam Ramesh, Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Commerce to Moreh, Directorate of Commerce and Industry, Imphal.
Helpman, E. (2011). Understanding global trade. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Humphrey, J. (2003). Globalisation and supply chain networks: The auto industry in Brazil and India. Global Networks, 3(2), 121–141.
Jones, R. W. (2000). Globalisation and the theory of input trade. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Look East Policy and the North Eastern States, 15th February, 2011, MDONER.
Mackenzie, A. (1995). The North-East frontier of India. New Delhi: Mittal Publication.
Mero, M. K. (2005). Indo-Myanmar border trade in the light of India’s look East policy. In G. Das et al. (Eds.), Indo-Myanmar border trade, status, problems and potential (pp. 64–73). Delhi: Akansha Publishing House op. cit.
Ramdoo, I. (2014). Developing value chains: What role for regional integration? Great Insights, 3(7). Available at ecdpm.org/great-insights
Ray, H. (2005). The silk route from North-East India to China and the Bay of Bengal: Some new lights. In A. Barua (Ed.), India’s North-East developmental issues in a historical perspective (pp. 43–65). New Delhi: Manohar.
Report. (2006). Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Union of Myanmar Federation of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. (UMFCCI).
Sarma, A. (2011). Integrating North-East with South-East Asia: Great expectations and ground realities, J B Ganguli Memorial Lecture delivered at Tripura Central University on April 11, 2011.
Sen, K. (2014, December). Global production networks and economic corridors: Can they be drivers for South Asia’s growth and regional integration? ADB South Asia, working paper series, no. 33.
Sharma, M. (1991). Socio-economic history in pre-colonial North-East India, trends, problems and possibilities. New Delhi: Ajanta Publications.
Srivastava, P. (2011). Regional corridors development in regional development. Asian Development Bank working paper no. 258, Manila.
Youths of Northeast India: Demographics and Leadership; National Book Trust of India and NCAER, 2012.
Yumnam, A. (2005). Indo-Myanmar trade through Moreh: Status and assessment. In G. Das et al. (Eds.), Indo-Myanmar border trade, status, problems and potential (pp. 74–83). Delhi: Akansha Publishing House op. cit.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Choudhury, S. (2018). Locating Northeast India in the Look (Act) East Policy of India. In: Sarma, A., Choudhury, S. (eds) Mainstreaming the Northeast in India’s Look and Act East Policy. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5320-7_15
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5320-7_15
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-10-5319-1
Online ISBN: 978-981-10-5320-7
eBook Packages: Economics and FinanceEconomics and Finance (R0)