India sees Myanmar as key pillar in policy

India’s “Act East” policy is crucial to the entire South East Asia, said Minister of State Dr Jitendra Singh.

Myanmar is one of the key pillars of India’s “Act East” policy, since, through the land borders, it connects India via the North Eastern States with the South East Asian countries, said Singh.

Singh was speaking at a conference on “India-Myanmar Trade and Connectivity” organized by the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations in New Delhi on 23 April 2018.

A significant fact to note is that many North Eastern States share a common border with Myanmar, added Singh, who is in charge of the Ministry Development of North-Eastern Region.

Emphasizing that to “Act East” effectively beyond the eastern borders, it is essential to first act east effectively proximal to the borders by promoting the potential of the region on this side of the border, he said.

Citing as an example, Dr Singh said Myanmar is not only geographically a proximate country with strong historical and economic linkages, but, in addition, the people on two sides of the border share common lifestyle, common food habits and common cultural traits.

Therefore, he said, any meaningful trade or business engagement with Myanmar can be done primarily through the products and goods inherent to the North Eastern States bordering India.

The “Act East” policy also includes the endeavour to open new avenues of job generation and entrepreneurship which would also make the Northeast the focus of India’s economic and diplomatic engagement across the eastern borders, he said.

A fast-track progress has been made to address issues relating to constraints of connectivity and transport which are important for growth of trade and investment in the NorthEast Region.

These developments include new airports, rail tracks and new Inland Waterways.

The government has recently framed exclusive Northeast Industrial Development Policy on priority basis. fii-news.com