Renowned scholar Samir Kumar Das on Tuesday released the book Mainstreaming the Northeast in India’s Look and Act East Policy at Omeo Kumar Das Institute of Social Change and Development here.
The book edited by scholar Atul Sarma and Dr Saswati Choudhury provides a detailed account of the evolution of India’s Look and Act East Policy, addressing the nuances of the policy and its efficacy for the Northeast region.
This volume is the outcome of the collective thoughts, ideas and efforts of a group of scholars and policy makers who gathered in an international conference organised as part of the Silver Jubilee celebration of OKD Institute three years back.
Divided into four parts, the book contains 15 chapters that critically look at the dynamics of Look (Act) East Policy ever since it was proclaimed as a major foreign policy by the government of India.
It empirically explores the progress in and prospects for trade, investment and connectivity between Northeast India and Southeast Asian countries.
Most importantly, the book looks critically its achievement in Northeast India which was put forward as the continental gateway for India to access the emerging economic frontiers of South East Asia.
Further, it discusses a range of regional and sub-regional multilateral initiatives–Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM), and Mekong-Ganga Cooperation (MGC) – that could potentially strengthen the cooperation between Northeast India and neighboring regions in the social, cultural and economic spheres.
Sanjib Baruah, professor of political studies, Bard College, New York, and Madhurjya Prasad Bezbaruah, professor of Gauhati University discussed the content of the book in a panel discussion after its launch.