INDIA-ASEAN TRADE OPPORTUNITIES UNDER ACT EAST POLICY AND INDIA’S NORTH EAST
The Act East Policy of the Govt. of India was started in 1991to strengthen falling economic situation. The basic idea was to link Indian economy with flourishing economies of the South East Asian nations to enhance India’s economic fortunes. The north eastern region being the gateway of the whole engagement is supposed to play the most crucial role in delivering the anticipated result. The paper has tried to study India-ASEAN trade opportunities in terms of merchandise trade vis-s-vis the opportunities for the NER. It is found that the merchandise trade has increased many folds between India and ASEAN specially in the post AIFTA period. The main items of India’s export to and import from the ASEAN reveal that the NER can be a strong player in the business activities as it has tremendous potential in producing those commodities due to the natural advantages it possesses. However, the main challenge is the lack of infrastructural facilities in the area which are absolutely necessary for international business and investment. KEY WORDS: ASEAN, Act East Policy, NER, AIFTA