1. INTRODUCTION

Act East Policy of the Central Government focusses on promotion of economic cooperation, cultural ties, and develops strategic relationship with countries in the Asia-Pacific region through continuous engagement bilateral regional and multilateral levels thereby providing enhanced connectivity to the states of North Eastern region. In this connection the Government of Assam perceives a great opportunity to move away from landlockedness and peripheral location of the North Eastern region to being a regional focal point of economic and cultural integration of India with countries of South, East, and South East Asia. Therefore, the Act East Policy Affairs Department has been set up in 2017 to leverage the locational advantage of the State extricated by the Act East Policy in order to engender all round development of the State in conjunction with other North Eastern States.

2. ACT EAST POLICY IN THE BACKGROUND OF NORTH EASTERN REGION

India's The North Eastern Region of India had been suffering an unfortunate geographical isolation and perceived psychological alienation from the rest of the country as a consequence of partition and the irrational drawing of the Radcliffe Line, when thanks to the path-breaking vision of our Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji the decades old Look East Policy was metamorphosed into the more proactive Act East Policy in 2014 – thereby providing the region with a unique opportunity to reinvent itself as the hub of the country's emerging relations with her eastern neighbours.In this regard, the Hon'ble Prime Minister has not only designated 'Act East' Policy as a key component of his Government's Foreign Policy, but also explicitly mentioned that North-East India would play an important role in that 'Act East' Policy.

3. HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE:

Before independence the North Eastern Region of India used to have multi-modal transportation networks (i.e.roadways, railways and riverine waterways) through the territories which are now Bangladesh and Myanmar to several ports [e.g. Chittagong, Sittwe and Yangon (then Rangoon)] as well as to what is now termed as Mainland India. Thanks to the enterprise of the British colonialists, trade from the region used to flourish; and in fact, tea and petroleum used to reach the Chittagong and Kolkata (then Calcutta) ports through the Brahmaputra-Padma-Meghna riverine waterway, as well as through railway lines passing through present-day Bangladesh.

The then undivided Assam therefore used to be one of the richer provinces of the country, and had a per-capita income higher than the national average upto 1950.

With the onset of freedom and the simultaneous partition exercise, along with the creation of Burma (Myanmar) as a separate country a decade prior to that; the age-old trade routes and transportation linkages of the region were suddenly snapped rendering it land-locked. As a matter of fact, security concerns prompted the gradual conversion of the 4500 odd kilometers length of international border that the region shares with no less than five countries of the subcontinent into a fortress-like formation. The artificial closure of the primeval trade routes and transportation links with and through the neighbouring countries of South and South East Asia, along with the trade and transport bottlenecks which thwarted the region from getting properly integrated into the economic system of the Mainland India, together resulted in economic stagnation of the region with serious consequences like social strife and insurgency. The response of the then Central Government was the imposition of further trade and travel restrictions – engendering a vicious cycle of psychological disconnect, sporadic violence and extortion, and skewed development in the region. The region thus came to be looked upon through the prism of internal security.

The scenario of looking at the region from that angle underwent a paradigm shift in 2001 with the setting up of the Department of DONER, specifically for the development of the North East Region. It may be safely surmised that this occurred because the country had undergone the massive liberalization exercise in the early nineties of the last century, the fruits thereof were beginning to be harvested around that time in the frontline states, and so it was felt that development needed to trickle down even to the north-eastern corners of the nation.

Meanwhile, another policy shift of the Central Govt. occurred a decade earlier with the adoption in 1991 of the Look East Policy – whose basic objective was to take advantage of the physical proximity of the fast developing economies of East and South East Asia. Over the years, the efforts did fructify with India being accepted as one of the strategic partners of the ASEAN bloc. Yet the endeavour was not initially inclusive of North East India, as it laid stress on marine connectivity with East and South East Asia through the ports on the Bay of Bengal.

However, under a progressive chain of events a revamped Look East Policy took shape in 2007, which came to incorporate the North Eastern Region.

4. VISION

The vision is to extricateNorth East India from the domestic thinking of denoting it as the peripheral entity of the country to that of a regional focal point of integration of India with countries of South, East and South East Asia. The paradigm shift envisaged is the placing of the North Eastern Region at the centre-stage of the country's planned rendezvous with the emerging giants of the ASEAN bloc. The Government of Assam feels that that requires the recalibration of foreign policy to develop the North East as a growth centre and a staging platform for the Act East Policy. This necessitates the adoption of a multi-ministerial approach and the active involvement of the State Governments of the region.

5. OBJECTIVES

The objectives of Act East Policy Affairs Department are:

1. Economic Integration with ASEAN and BBIN countries – involving seamless trade and commerce [including creation of Industrial Corridor and state-of-the-art Border Centres], as well as industrial collaboration;
2. Seamless Connectivity with ASEAN and BBIN countries – on the lines of Panchapath (Roadways, Railways, Airways, Waterways and Information-ways) espoused by Hon'ble Prime Minister of India, including multi-modal and fast transportation system and effective telecommunication mechanism;
3. Socio–Cultural Exchangewith ASEAN and BBIN countries – taking into account the similarities in socio-cultural patterns, anthropological/ ethnic backgrounds, and proto-religious practices between peoples of NE States and the aforementioned countries; and
4. Free Movement of People with ASEAN and BBIN countries – through opening of consulates/ Asst. High Commissioners' Offices of these countries in Guwahati, and having facilities for Visa-Free Travel/ Visa on Arrival for bona-fide people [viz. traders, officials and tourists].

6. PROPOSED MODUS OPERANDI

The Govt. of Assam thus seeks to work together in a unified manner with the relevant Central Government Ministries [viz. External Affairs, Commerce and Industry, DONER, Home Affairs, Railways, Road Transport and Highways, Shipping, Civil Aviation, Water Resources, Telecommunication, Electronics and Information Technology and Culture], the Niti Aayog as well as the Governments of the other 7 North Eastern States – eschewing the Silo Vision mentality and imbibing the spirit of Cooperative Federalism – for making the region an industrial hub in a platform for launching of the Act East Policy, and not remain a transitory corridor through the "chicken-neck" with the rest of India.

7. FUNCTIONS

1. Identification of ongoing projects of Central Government under Act East Policy relevant and important for Assam, and coordination with other relevant stakeholders in order to facilitate smooth implementation of such projects.
2. Devising of policies for the State Government under the overall ambit of Act East Policy; delineation of the actionable points of such policies; formulation of projects in furtherance of such policies; and identification of State Government Department/ Agency for actual implementation of such projects.
3. Coordinating and handholding of other State Government Departments and Agencies for implementation of their projects and works relating to the Act East Policy, and for interaction with relevant external agency/ stakeholder for effective implementation of ongoing and newly proposed projects under different facets of the Act East Policy.
4. Organization of conclaves and workshops on Act East Policy – involving academic fraternity, functionaries of trade bodies & other stakeholders; and participation in summits and workshops in ASEAN and BBN bloc countries, East Asian countries, and other countries of interest – independently or in association with the relevant stakeholder Department/ Agency of the State Government.
5. Facilitation of research work, seminars, stakeholder meets, trade fairs, exposure visits, community tourism, sports events (including cycle, motorcycle and car rallies, cultural exchange programmes and student exchange programmes undertaken by institutions, non-governmental organizations and individuals in furtherance of Act East Policy.
6. Facilitation of the opening of Consulates/ Assistant High Commissions of ASEAN and BBN bloc countries in Guwahati; and establishment of Front Desks of the State Government in (or under the aegis of) the Embassies/ High Commissions of India in ASEAN and BBN bloc countries, East Asian and Pacific Oceanic countries, and other countries of interest – for facilitating trade & cultural exchanges.
7. Handling of affairs of Non-Resident Assamese (Pravasi Asomiya) people through the Embassies/ High Commissions of India in ASEAN and BBN bloc countries, East Asian countries, and other countries of interest.
8. Facilitation of development of multi-modal connectivity (including internal highways, inland waterways, airways, railways, and information-ways) with and through ASEAN and BBN bloc countries – in association with relevant State Government Departments.
9. Promotion of trade relations (including exchange of trade delegations), academic and technical collaboration, student and youth exchange programmes, health care collaboration and medical tourism, community tourism and cultural exchanges with ASEAN and BBN bloc countries, East Asian countries, and other countries of interest – in association with relevant State Government Departments. 
10. Development of planned cities [to be termed “Act East Cities”] on designated cross border connectivity routes  for  facilitating trade and connectivity with ASEAN and BBN bloc countries, and for decongesting Guwahati by serving as its Counter-Magnet Areas – in association with the Urban Development Department.

8. PLANS & PROGRAMMES

(A) CONNECTIVITY:

There are several geographical and historical advantages as far as connectivity with South and South East Asia is concerned;

• Physical proximity of the countries to Assam is such that the aerial distances of most of the country capitals from Guwahati is less than or within comparable range of the aerial distance of Guwahati with major metropolitan centres of the country like Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai; and
• There has been historical trade and connectivity links which got snapped at the time of independence and partition [as already mentionedin the Section on Historical Perspective], the most prominent among them being the Old Silk Route, the Stilwell Road, the Road to Mandalay-Rangoon (Yangon), the Railway Lines through Bangladesh to Mainland India, and the riverine route to Chittagong Port.

In order to capitalize on these advantages and establish diverse connectivity networks, the Govt. of Assam feels the necessity of the following:

Airways -

• Establishment of Air Links with ASEAN & BBIN countries:
  Direct flights need to be introduced between the capitals of all ASEAN and BBIN countries and Guwahati, considering the proximity of these cities. The step, although initially may be economically viable in the short run, would reap rich connectivity and commercial dividends in the long run – if supported externally through VGF.
  Extension of UDAN Scheme to ASEAN countries:
  The UDAN Scheme launched for regional air connectivity within India through subsidised air travel – needs to be extended to ASEAN countries within 2 hours of flying time. The matter has been taken up with the Ministry of Civil Aviation. In the meanwhile, the State Government has agreed to create a fund to support UDAN II with an initial corpus of 100 crores, which needs to be sustained by the Central Government.
• Developing Guwahati Airport into a Global Airport:
  In order to establish Guwahati as a regional commercial hub, we need to turn Guwahati LGB International Airport into a global airport with at least 200 Domestic/ International Flights. For that, the Guwahati Airport should have maintenance & repair and night parking facilities.
• New Mega Airport for Guwahati:
  Since the capacity of the existing airport in Guwahati cannot be extended infinitely to cater to the expected increase in the number of flights, we need to construct another mega airport for Guwahati or develop a nearby airport.

Roadways -

• Development of Mainland India – Bangladesh – North East India (MI-B-NEI) Corridors:
  The development of such corridors – e.g.Agartala-Dhaka-Kolkata, Silchar-Dhaka-Kolkata and Shillong-Dhaka-Kolkata – are essential for easing out the traffic through the chicken-neck corridor. But for that the connecting internal roadways need to be improved to international standards.  
• Development of Road Access to Chittagong Port:
  For ensuring smooth access to Chittagong Port, the 612 Km road from Guwahati to Chittagong viaShillong and Dawki need to developed as a 4 laned expressway. That requires 4 laning of the stretch from Shillong to Dawki, and Bangladesh has to be assisted for 4 laning of the stretch between Dawki and Chittagong.
• Development of Road Access to South East Asia: 
  The road access has to be developed on all feasible fronts. For that we need the early completion of the Asian Trilateral Highway as well as the reopening of the Stillwell Road up to Kunming. The connecting internal roadways need to be improved by the 4 Laning of the 401 Kms of NH 39 from Golaghat to Moreh,  early completion of  the East West Corridor from Doboka in Nagaon District to Silchar, and the 4 Laning of the road from Silchar to MorehviaJiribam and Imphal.

Waterways -

• Access to Chittagong/ Mongla Ports through Inland Waterways:
  The concerned ports of Bangladesh can be approached through the Brahmaputra River (NW 2), Barak River (NW 16) and other inland waterways. But for that, the dredging of Brahmaputra, Barak and Kushiyara rivers need to be completed to ensure perennial inland water connectivity to these ports. Besides, the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Chittagong and Mongla ports needs to be expedited by Ministry of Shipping.
• Development of Port Townships/ Hubs:
  In order to integrate the inland waterways into the overall trading mechanism, port townships/ hubs need to be developed on the Brahmaputra and the Barak Rivers with state-of-the-art jetties, warehouses, passenger facilities and civic amenities, other trading logistics, and connecting arterial roads to the ports.
• Night Navigation Facilities on Brahmaputra:
  In order to optimally utilize the inland waterways, we need to ensure 24/7 X 365 movement of barges on the Brahmaputra River. But for that, we need to develop night navigation facilities on the river.
• Early Completion of Kaladan Project:
  The Kaladan Multi-Modal River Waterway Project shall provide a link between North East India through Mizoram and the Chin State of Myanmar via the Kaladan River to the Sittwe Port. The technical and physical problems faced during the construction need to be worked out so as to ensure early completion of the project. 

Railways -

• Railway Connectivity to Border Towns:
  Indian Railways have already taken the initiative to link all the North Eastern States including Manipur, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh. The railway connectivity is needed to be extended to Moreh and other border towns, so as to facilitate large-scale border trade.
• Railway Connectivity with Bangladesh:
  The railway line to Chittagong within Bangladesh traverses very close to the Agartala – Sebroom Railway Line within the Indian territory in Tripura.  Therefore, that opens up several potential linkages between the two railway lines. In this regard, the 15 Km long Agartala – Akhaura Railway Line linking Indian Railways with Bangladesh Railways has already been initiated, and needs to completed soon. The project once completed would go a long way in restoring the region to its pre-partition connectivity with the outside world; because the linkage shall not only facilitate transit to Mainland India through Bangladesh, but also enable access to the Chittagong Port of Bangladesh.
• Delhi-Hanoi Railway Link:
  The proposed railway link through Assam, Manipur, and then on to Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam needs to be upgraded from the conceptualization stage to the implementation stage. Because, China has already made a headway in this regard by starting to lay railway lines through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam to the ports thereof.

Information-ways -

• Digital Connectivity from Cox Bazar: India has only two landing stations of the International Sub-marine Fibre-optic Cable Network – viz. Mumbai and Chennai; both of which are far from North East India. But access can be made from the Cox Bazar Landing Station (CLS) of the Network in Bangladesh.
  
  It may be mentioned in this context that the International Gateway has been accessed by BSNL from its Cox Bazar terminal, and they have provided initial connectivity upto Agartala. However, due to high rentals of CLS [i.e.  as high as 8 times more rental than at Chennai or Mumbai – the other two International Gateway terminals in the region], BSNL has not brought the bandwidth to Assam and other North Eastern States.
  
  North East India has a huge potential to become an ITES and IT hub, as almost 20% of the IT-based human resources of the entire country comes from this region. But the region is crippled because of poor bandwidth and speed. If Ministry of Commerce can consider supporting the rentals to BSNL for initial 2 years, then the region would be able to get the requisite high speed connectivity and bandwidth from CLS to become an IT hub – thereby bringing in large amount of exports from the region.

(B) TRADE & INDUSTRY:

The Government of Assam would like to play an important role in boosting trade and industry in the region as part of the Act East Policy. In this context, it feels that some of the key components for intervention need to be as follows:

• Lifting Restrictions on Trade:
  There are several restrictions on land border trade in the region – especially with Bangladesh, which shares a 1400 kilometres land border with Assam and Meghalaya. In other words, trading at any Border Trade Centre is restricted to a specific number of commodities only. Such restrictions on tradable items need to be lifted. Rather, we need to have a negative list of items which cannot be traded. Rest of the items need to be able to be traded freely. The matter has been pending over a long time and needs to be resolved at an early date. If the issue is sorted out, then the trade with Bangladesh is expected to see a quantum jump.
• Review of the SAFTA Agreement:
  The SAFTA Treaty has quite adversely affected goods trade with Bangladesh, as the tariff structure imposed on the commodities are very high for export to Bangladesh. Either through bilateral mechanism or through the SAFTA review mechanism, the system needs to be rectified so that exports from this region can pick up.
• Strengthen Border Trade Centres/ ICPs:
  The Border Trade Centres/ICPs need to be properly developed with provisions of basic minimum civic amenities therein, as well as facilities for seamless transportation, warehousing, telecommunications including data availability, ATM and Currency Exchange. The larger border trade centres like Sutarkandi and Moreh need to be upgraded to integrated border townships and river ports.
• Signing of Motor Transport Agreements:
  In order to have seamless trade within the region, there needs to be free movement of trucks therein. For ensuring that, necessary Motor Transport Agreements and related MoUs need to be signed with countries of South East Asia – in line with the Motor Vehicles' Agreement signed among the BBIN countries
• Development of Logistics:
• As trade of North East India with countries of the ASEAN and BBIN blocs is being opened up through the river, air and land routes; there is a huge emerging need for the development of logistics. For example, the transportation of goods through the Brahmaputra River and other inland waterways needs river ports and warehouses etc. around these ports. Besides, the goods carriage on the road route needs logistics hubs and storages all alongside the highways concerned. Moreover, since Guwahati is being developed as an aviation hub, it would again need massive cargo amenities for movement of cargo. The development of logistics for trade thus needs proper planning and financial support from the Central Government.
• Industrial Development of North Eastern Region:
  Without enhancing the productive capacity of the region, opening up of trade would only lead to rendering it as a source of raw materials and flooding it with foreign goods. Therefore, the Sixth Industrial Corridor of the country needs to be created stretching parallel to the Trilateral Highway upto the Moreh Border of Myanmar; and covering the States of Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Manipur. Besides, private investment in the region needs to be promoted in a big way.   

TOURISM

The Government of Assam feels that tourism is one of the natural corollaries of improved connectivity and infrastructure. North East India has a lot to offer on the tourism front – its forests and wildlife (being one of the Biodiversity Hotspots), blue hills and lush green valleys, picturesque tea gardens, river cruises [especially on the Brahmaputra and other major rivers], religious shrines of different faiths, prospects of adventure tourism and golf tourism, and also showcasing a unique diverse and multi-faceted culture. Medical tourism is another aspect of tourism that has tremendous prospects.

The State Government therefore feels that if projected properly in South and South East Asia, the region has the potentiality of attracting a large number of tourists from that region – similar to what Kunming and the Yunnan province has been able to do.

(D) PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE RELATIONS:

In order to facilitate people-to-people contact between North East India and South and South East Asia, to reinvigorate the age-old cultural links, and to promote cultural exchanges; the following action points have been identified by the Government of Assam.

• Opening of the Consulates of all ASEAN countries in Guwahati:
  To facilitate easy movement of people between North East India and the countries of the ASEAN bloc, the consulates of all the ASEAN countries need to be opened in Guwahati. The Hon'ble Minister of External Affairs, Smti Sushma Swaraj, has assured to use her good offices for ensuring that.
• Easy Visa Regime:
  Along with the opening of consulates, the existing Visa Regime needs to be simplified for ensuring freer movement of people, including introduction of provisions like visa-on-arrival. The necessity of Restricted Area Permit (RAP) required for coming to the North Eastern Region needs to be relaxed for ASEAN and BBIN countries.
• Re calibration of Foreign Policy:
  The foreign policy needs to be re calibrated to focus more on the South and South East Asian countries, with the eventual objective of having an entity like the European Union.
• Ties between Universities:
  In order to facilitate closer academic and technical collaboration, close ties need to be established between the leading Universities and Research Institutions of Assam and the leading Universities and Research Institutions of the ASEAN countries.
• Chapter of South Asian University in Assam:
  The South Asian University is located in New Delhi catering to students from across the bloc and specializing on topics related to it. Considering the uniqueness of the region, a chapter of the University need to be set up in Assam.
• Deepening of Cultural Exchanges:
  The region of North East India is a confluence of races, genes, cultures, and religions; and has significant similarity with South and South East Asia. Therefore, cultural exchanges of North East with the countries of that region need to be deepened; and people to people contacts need to be enhanced.
• Student Exchange Programmes: The youth is the future of any country or region, and both North East India and South East Asia has a large young population. Student Exchange Programmes need to be initiated on a larger scale to integrate the two regions.

9. ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE DEPARTMENT

i) Consulate of BBN/ ASEAN Countries in Guwahati:-

Bhutan has set up its Consulate General Office in Guwahati in 2018. This follows the setting up of the Asst. High Commissioner’s Office of Bangladesh in 2017.The Act East Policy Affairs Department has been pursuing with the Central Ministry of External Affairs for the establishment of consulates of ASEAN and BBN countries in Guwahati; and its efforts have borne fruit with the establishment of the Office of the Consulate General of Bhutan in Guwahati.Meanwhile, the Act East Policy Affairs Department is pursuing with the Central Ministry of External Affairs for the establishment of consulates of the 10 ASEAN bloc countries in Guwahati.

ii) Special Session of ASEAN Countries during Global Investors’ Summit – Advantage Assam 2018:

Under the aegis of the GIS – Advantage Assam 2018, a Special Session regarding the prospect of Economic Opportunities of Assam with South and South East Asian countries was held. The Session was attended by Hon’ble Chief Minister of Assam, Hon’ble Minister of Act East Policy Affairs Department, concerned Ministers from Bhutan, Bangladesh and 3 ASEAN countries (Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos), and several high level officials from the Central Govt., with the CEO of NITI Aayog acting as the moderator. The Country Director of Asian Development Bank made a Power-point Presentation on the prospects of overall development of the region in the Session.

iii) Organization of the 2nd ASEAN India Youth Summit:

Act East Policy Affairs Department along with Ministry of External Affairs and India Foundation organized the 2nd ASEAN INDIA YOUTH SUMNIT from 3rd to 7th February, 2019. Delegates from India as well as other ASEAN countries participated in the Event. Hon’ble Chief Minister of Assam, Hon’ble Minister of Act East Policy Affairs Department had put their speeches in the Event.

iv) Ambassadors’ Meet:

Act East Policy Affairs Department had organized a round table conference of Hon’ble Chief Minister of Assam with Ambassadors, High Commissioners of ASEAN and BBN countries, and their representatives. The meeting was attended by 4 Ambassadors, 2 High Commissioners, 1 Deputy Chief d’ Mission, and 1 Deputy High Commissioner of 8 ASEAN countries; besides the Asst High Commissioner of Bangladesh and the Consul General of Bhutan in Guwahati. The conference discussed ways and means to develop business and cultural relations of Assam and North East India with the ASEAN and BBN countries, and actionable points were documented as a result of the discussions.

v) Participation in 9th Bangladesh Travel & Tourism Fair 2019:

Act East Policy Affairs Department participated in the 9th Bangladesh Travel & Tourism Fair 2019 in Dhaka, Bangladesh, w.e.f. 18th to 20th April 2019. The thrust was to open up the Health Care and Higher Education Sectors of Assam to the prospective patients and students respectively from Bangladesh. In the light of this, a number of private health-care institutions and private higher educational institutions attended the Fair under the aegis of the Department.

The Fair comprised an Exhibition showcasing different countries and regions over a period of 3 (three) days, w.e.f. 18th to 20th April 2019, besides holding of topical seminars and B2B meetings between interested private stakeholders.

As part of that Exhibition, the Act East Policy Affairs Department set up its Stall showcasing the Private Health Care Sector and Private Higher Educational Sector of Assam – with the objective of promoting medical tourism and education-based tourism in Assam.

A Seminar on “Prospects of Medical Tourism in Assam” was organized in the afternoon of 19th April 2019. During the seminar, Dr.NiamurRiaz of Hayat Hospital and Dr. Subhash Khanna of Swagat Hospital gave very fine and illustrative presentations on the facilities available for Super Specialty and Multi-Specialty Treatment in Guwahati.

In the backdrop of the Fair, the Indian High Commission in Dhaka arranged for 3 (three) B2B meetings for our participating Private Higher Educational Institutions. The B2B meetings with Daffodil International University and American International University on 18th April 2019, and with BRAC University on 21st April 2019, involved discussion on prospective Summer Camp, Student Exchange Program on Semester Basis, there was also talk on having academic and technical collaboration and a host of other related ways and means of cooperation.

vi) 2ndMeeting of Indo-Bangladesh Joint Committee on Border Haats:

The 2nd meeting of the Indo – Bangladesh Joint Committee on Border Haats was held in Sylhet (Bangladesh) on 23rd & 24th April 2019. The Department was represented in the Indian Delegation therein by one of its Deputy Secretaries. It may be noted that Border Haats are rural market places in an enclosed area on the border with a foreign country (viz. Bangladesh), with half of that area in each country, and accessible by separate entrance gates to citizens of both countries within a radial distance of 5 Kms from the Border Haat concerned. The raison d’être of the Border Haats is not only the establishment of traditional system of marketing among local people residing in remote border areas of both countries, but also promotion of people to people contact therein creating a cross-border camaraderie. Among the 6 new Border Haats whose locations were finalized in the aforementioned meeting, 2 numbers fall in the Assam stretch of the Indo-Bangladesh Border: viz. Satrasal in Dhubri District and Latu in Karimganj District.

vii) Bus Tour to Bangladesh and Myanmar :

Act East Policy Affairs Department has organized a bus tour of 15 Hon’ble Members of Assam Legislative Assembly, 13 IAS and ACS Officers and 2 other officers to Bangladesh and Myanmar w.e.f. 26th June, to 5th July, 2019. The delegation was led by the Hon’ble Minister, Act East Policy Affairs Department.  The objectivesthe Bus tour “SamparkYatra” were to sensitize the decision makers of the locational advantage of these countries to the State of Assam and the larger North Eastern Region, and its potential for the economic growth of the region, and also engage in meetings with the industry fraternity and exporters of these countries. The bus tour has been able to accomplish almost all of its stated objectives. The bus tour resulted in a concrete road map for furthering relations with Bangladesh and Myanmar.

viii) India-Bangladesh Stakeholders’  Meet, 2019:

Act East Policy Affairs Department on the 22nd and 23rd of October 2019 organized the India-Bangladesh Stakeholders’ Meet in Guwahati, in association with the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce, Government of India, on approval from the BM Division of the Ministry of External Affairs.

The Meet had sought to:(i)           generate awareness about the opportunities made available to exporters and transporters by the recent path-breaking agreements between the two countries on connectivity and trade; (ii)                address the loose ends during the operationalization of these agreements by identifying the issues, delineating the action points, and forwarding the same to the governmental and non-governmental stakeholders; and(iii)harness comprehensive cooperation of all relevant stakeholders of India and Bangladesh to achieve synergy in cross-border trade between Bangladesh & North East India. The Meet managed to accomplish all these objectives to a significantly large and comprehensive extent.

The Meet was attended by the relevant stakeholders from both India and Bangladesh – viz.senior officers of the Commerce Ministries, External Affairs/  Foreign Affairs Ministries, Road Transport Ministries and Shipping Ministries of India and Bangladesh; senior officers of the Inland Water Transport authorities, Customs authorities, Land Port, Riverine Port and Marine Port authorities, and other relevant authorities of both the countries; functionaries of the associations of exporters, transporters, freight forwarders and Inland Container Depots (ICDs) of both the countries; functionaries of the major Chambers of Commerce of both the countries; and local industry personnel, academic fraternity, press people and leading citizens. In this regard, the Guests from Bangladesh included:(i)     MR. TIPU MUNSHI, Hon'ble Minister of Commerce, Govt. of Bangladesh; (ii)MR. MASHIUR A K M RAHMAN, Hon'ble Economic Affairs Adviser to the PM of Bangladesh;(iii)H.E. A.T.M. ROKEBUL HAQUE, Hon'ble Deputy High Commissioner of Bangladesh to India,along with 2 other Senior Officers of the High Commission;(iv)          MR. MD. ABDUS SAMAD, Secretary, Ministry of Shipping, Govt. of Bangladesh, along with 5 other Senior Officers of the Ministry – including the respective Chairmen of Chittagong and Mongla Port Authorities;(v)MR. MD.EHSAN E ELAHI, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Road Transport & Bridges, Govt. of Bangladesh,along with 2 other Senior Officers of the Ministry;(vi) Mr. Md.. A.H.M. AHSAN, Joint Secretary to the Govt. of Bangladesh, Ministry of Commerce, along with 1 other Senior Officer of the Ministry;(vii)Member – Land Port Authority of Bangladesh; (viii)3 mem-bers of National Board of Revenue, Bangladesh;(ix)49 Members of different Chambers of Commerce (including Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FBCCI), India –Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IBCCI), Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce & Industry, andSylhet Chamber of Commerce & Industry), Freight Forwarders Associations, Clearing and Forwarding Agent Associations, and Transporters Associations from Bangladesh; and(x)       9 numbers of Journalists from Bangladesh.The Guests from within the country included: – viz.(i) Union Ministers of State –                MoRTH [Gen. V.K. Singh (Retd.), andM/o Food Processing Industries [Shri RameswarTeli];(ii)Chief Minister of Tripura, Shri Biplab Kumar Deb;(iii)  Minister, Commerce, etc,, Government of Mizoram; (iv) Commerce Secretary, Secretary – Textiles, and Special Secretary (Logistics) of the Government of India; (v) 19 Senior Officers of the Govt. of India – including the Chairperson (IWAI); (vi) Country Director, Asian Development Bank; and (vii) other senior functionaries of Corporations and Private Institutions.

The Meet comprised 5 Technical Sessions – besides the Inaugural Session and Valedictory Session.The Technical Sessions comprised:Road Connectivity – including the BBIN Motor Vehicles Agreement and introduction of bus and freight services;(ii)Prospects of Cross-Border Trade through the Surface Route;(iii)  Role of Regulatory Authorities;(iv)Port Use Agreements; and(v)Role of Freight Forwarders and Transporters – including Logistics.

The Technical Sessions also saw the delineation of Actionable Points – which were presented in the Valedictory Session.

There were B2B Meetings held in the backdrop of the Stakeholders’ Meet. There were around 50 B2B Meetings. The sectors covered were Tourism, Tea, Agriculture, Food Processing Industries and Mines & Minerals.There were 10 Expressions of Interest (EOIs) signed on the basis of these B2B Meetings – which have the potentiality of graduating to signing of MoUs.

ix) Agreementon Utilization of the Chittagong and Mongla ports of Bangladesh by Vessels from North East India:

India and Bangladesh recognized that increasing connectivity through air, water, rail road offers mutually beneficial opportunity for enhancing economic cooperation between Bangladesh and the North Eastern States of India and beyond. In order to boost connectivity the leaders of both countries signed the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) on 5th October, 2019 for the use of Chattogram and Mongla Ports for movements of goods to and from India, particularly to and from the North East of India, which could create a win-win situation for both economies.

x) Dredging of Brahmaputra and Barak Rivers:

The AEPA Department had pointed out to the Ministry of Shipping that for ensuring perennial inland water connectivity to the ports of Bangladesh, it is essential to dredge the Brahmaputra and Barak rivers; and followed up the matter regularly. Therefore, the Central Ministry of Shipping has taken up the dredging of these rivers. This would facilitate round the year navigation on these rivers, and ensure smooth access of vessels from Assam to the ports of Chittagong and Mongla.

xi) Establishment of Direct Flights between Guwahati and the major cities of ASEAN and BBN Countries:

The Act East Policy Affairs Department conceived the idea of extension of the subsidized local flying under UDAN scheme of the Ministry of Civil Aviation to cover the cities of South and South East Asia, considering the proximity of these cities to Guwahati. The Department pursued the matter with the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation along with the Transport Department through – with the State Government committing to provide Rs.100 crores per year for 3 years as its contribution towards the Viability Gap Funding (VGF) for this purpose. This resulted in the formulation of the UDAN (International) Scheme by the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation – under which direct flights from Guwahati to Dhaka started from 1st July 2019. Although it was suspended in October 2019 due to operational reason, it is expected to restart very soon. Meanwhile, Nok Air started a direct flight from Guwahati to Bangkok on a bi weekly basis.

xii) Visit of Delegation of Malaysia-India Business Council (MIBC):

An MIBC delegation along with Invest India officials visited Assam in November 2019. In this regard, the delegation had meetings with officers of the Act East Policy Affairs and Industries & Commerce Departments of the Government of Assam, besides visiting the offices of Assam Skill Development Mission and Guwahati Smart City Mission. They also signed anMoU with the Industries & Commerce Department. 

10. FUTURE PLANNING UNDER ACT EAST POLICY:

1. Upgradation of Guwahati Airport into a global airport with the construction of a new terminal – for which the Government of Assam in the Transport Department has already provided `199 crores approximately – out of a total administrative approval (AA) of `215 crores approximately – to the Ministry of Civil Aviation for land acquisition purposes. The residual amount of `16 crores is under process by the Transport Department for financial sanction (FS).

   Besides, large scaleupgradation and development of other existing airports of the State like Dibrugarh (Mohanbari) Airport, Jorhat (Rowriah) Airport, and Lilabari Airport. According of administrative approval (AA) of amounts of `20 crores each for the expansion, upgradation and development of Dibrugarh (Mohanbari) and Jorhat (Rowriah) airports are under process by the Transport Department. In case of the development of Lilabari Airport, an amount of `1.07 crores is under process for financial sanction (FS) by the Transport Department.  The Rupshi Airport at Dhubri is being revived after many years, and is expected to be operational by next year. For the electrification of that Rupshi Airport, an amount of `3.50 crores has been accorded administrative approval (AA) of by the Transport Department – out of which `2.15 crores has already received financial sanction (FS). The balance amount of `1.35crores is under process by the Transport Department for financial sanction (FS).
   
   A Greenfield airport is coming up at Silchar, while the revival of Ledo Airfield for flights to South East Asia is under consideration. For the new airport at Silchar, 3 plots of land have been identified by the Deputy Commissioner (Cachar) – viz. at Khareel Tea Estate, Daloo Tea Estate and Silcoore Tea Estate. The Transport Department has forwarded the proposals to Airport Authority of India (AAI). AAI is expected to send a team for field visit to study the feasibility of these plots, and select the suitable plot, in the near future. 

2. Setting up of the 6th Industrial Corridor of the country in North East India (now 9th Industrial Corridor – since meanwhile the 6th, 7th and Industrial Corridors have already been set up elsewhere): On the proposal of the Assam Government in the Industries & Commerce Department to the Department of Industrial Policy Promotion, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India; the matter of setting up an Industrial Corridor in North East India was favourably considered by the Board of Trustees of National Industrial Corridor Development & Implementation Trust (NICDIT) in 2017. Presently, a feasibility study for the same is being undertaken by the Asian Development Bank.
3. Organization of an ASEAN-BBN Mega Cultural Meet with a Food Festival and Exhibition of Ethnic Textiles. All the 8 North Eastern States would be invited to participate in the programme. ICCR had agreed to associate with the exercise.
4. Sending of Delegation of Proprietors and Management of private Health-Care institutions and private Higher Educational institutions to Bangladesh and Myanmar to exploit the prospects of medical tourism and intake of foreign students in Assam and the rest of North East India.
5. Holding of Roadshows in major cities of Myanmar viz. Yangon, Mandalay, Monywa, Myitkyina, Kalay, etc. to promote trade, tourism (medical tourism) and educational exchange.
6. Development of Mainland India-Bangladesh-North East India (MI-B-NEI) Corridors, along with Road Access to Chittagong Port and other ports, as well as the same to South East Asia through Myanmar. The development of Asian Trilateral Highway and Kaladan Project – being taken up by the Ministry of External Affairs – may be cited as a case in point.
7. Development of Mutual Tourism with South & South East Asia including Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, etc.
8. Easy Visa Regime and Relaxation of Restricted Area Permit (RAP) provisions for ASEAN and BBIN countries.
9. Student Exchange Programmes with ASEAN and BBN countries.
10. Exchange of Cultural Troupes.
11. Access of digital connectivity from the Cox-Bazar Landing Station (CLS) of the International Information Optical Fibre Mega Gateway.