Cross Border Trade in Northeast India: Critical Analysis

Abstract

The Northeastern part of India is very important as far as the cross-border trade is concerned. Keeping in mind about the importance of Northeastern region vis-a-vis border trade with its neighboring countries, the government of India has taken up some measures to upgrade and facilitate the border trade along this international border and to ensure free exchange of goods and services across the border. However, it is to be noted that the government of India has not taken the Northeastern region seriously, until Narashimha Rao led government came out with the famous India’s “Look East Policy” in 1991 which still remains on paper and yet to be fully implemented. Therefore, the Narendra Modi government had renamed and launched “Act East Policy” in 2014 to make “Look East Policy” more practical and action oriented. The paper tries to critically look into the cross-border trade in Northeast India with special reference to Bangladesh and Myanmar (Burma).