An Evaluation of India’s Approach towards Northeast India

Abstract

India‟s Northeastern region (NER) has been a subject of continuous scholarly discussion because of its low level of development despite huge amount of assistance and grants provided by the central government and its various ministries and departments. The problems of Northeast India are complex and inter-related with each other. Therefore, the Government of India and even the civil society seem to be in a dilemma with what needs to be prioritised in dealing with Northeast India. Is it the development of the region that should come first or, is it the security of the nation that should be the primary concern? So far, the government‟s approach has indicated that while it wants Northeast India to be closely connected with neighbours in Southeast Asia, it is also afraid of further infiltration of several cross-border problems and trans-national crime into the region from countries like Myanmar and China. The proposed paper will deal with aspects related to government‟s approach towards Northeast India, especially look East Policy and BIMSTEC that have been visualised to connect India‟s Northeastern region with Southeast Asia. The primary objectives of the paper would be to understand the significance of national security and domestic development in the case of Northeast India and her importance in determining India‟s foreign policy and implications of India‟s Look East Policy and BIMSTEC on Northeast India The proposed paper will be based on consulting available primary and secondary literature and would be analytical in nature. At the end of the paper, we would be able to understand that India‟s NER represents an example where domestic policies and development act as one of the important determinants of national security vis-à-vis foreign policy. Specifically, it would help us to understand India‟s approach towards Northeast India in regard to development and security aspects.