ISAS Briefs

The development of Northeast India has become one of the expressed objectives of India’s Look East Policy, and the intention to increasingly look East through the Northeast is apparent. However, despite the intention and the announcement of several projects, mainly connectivity infrastructure, to allow for greater integration with India’s eastern neighbours, little has taken off the ground. While the shift in focus initially raised expectations, the inaction so far is leading to frustration. This was an inference that was palpable at a recent workshop held at Shillong, Meghalaya (India), organised by the Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS), Singapore, in collaboration with the Indian Institute of Management (IIM)-Shillong and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). Similar sentiments were echoed at the Delhi Dialogue VI.