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The geostrategic and geo-economic vitality of India's 'Act East' policy is contingent upon the development of its Northeastern states, which share land boundaries with Bangladesh and Myanmar. Enhancing its connectivity and security architecture is paramount to operationalising India's vision of the Indo-Pacific, which hinges on fostering supply chain resilience while mitigating cross-border security threats and external strategic influence.
The U.S. Strategic Framework for the Indo-Pacific (USSFIP): North-Eastern Dialogue, organised by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) and funded by the American government, explored the geostrategic centrality of India's Northeast to delineate operational frameworks for advancing convergent India-US interests in the Indo-Pacific. Through six policy dialogues in the Northeast and two national level dialogues in Kolkata and New Delhi, the project facilitates a multi-stakeholder interaction, engaging 200 delegates from public, private, and non-governmental sectors, including the youth. The Meghalaya, Assam, Sikkim, Manipur and Mizoram Chapters of the Dialogue were held on 26 November 2024, 13 December 2024, 7 May 2025, 10 - 11 July 2025, and on 25 September 2025, respectively.
The Tripura Chapter of the Dialogue was held on 29 October 2025 at Hotel Polo Towers, Agartala, Tripura. The Inaugural Session was initiated with a virtual Welcome Address by Nilanjan Ghosh, Vice President, Development Studies, ORF and Director, ORF Kolkata. His remarks were followed by a Special Addresses from Kiran Gitte, Secretary, Department of Industries and Commerce, Government of Tripura. The project’s agenda and objectives were subsequently introduced by Anasua Basu Ray Chaudhury, Senior Fellow, Neighbourhood Studies Initiative, ORF.
The event convened 41 delegates, engaging them via three panel discussions and four supplementary breakout sessions. As a part of their involvement, the delegates engaged in a pre-dialogue survey, aimed to gather their initial viewpoints, and a post-dialogue survey, to evaluate the impact of the day’s deliberations on their perspectives.
The first panel discussion on “Northeast Nexus: Weaving Tripura into the Trade Network,” was moderated by Anasua Basu Ray Chaudhury. The panellists were Rejaul Karim Laskar, Director, Centre for Advanced International Studies, University of Science & Technology, Meghalaya; Indraneel Bhowmik, Professor, Department of Economics, Tripura University, Tripura; Debasis Nandi, Regional Administrator, Land Ports Authority of India, Tripura; Tridib Bhattacharjee, CEO & Advisor Astramind Consulting, Maharashtra and E. Bijoy Kumar Singh, Department of Economics, Manipur University, Manipur. Panellists emphasised that leveraging its unique geographical position, Tripura is transforming from a land-locked state into a land-linked powerhouse, anchoring India's economic integration with the Indo-Pacific. The Land Port Authority of Tripura is initiating this shift by developing critical infrastructure and managing complex coordination between diverse stakeholders and diplomatic partners. This effective integration into broader trade networks is the critical step that not only establishes Tripura as an engine for regional commerce but also paves the way for its vision to become a specialised software services centre, forging vital end-to-end connectivity with Southeast Asian nations.
Following the first panel discussion, Breakout Session I was on “Trade Trails of Northeast India: Linking Local to Global”. It was moderated by Jayanta Bhattacharya, Senior Journalist (Retd.), Press Trust of India, Tripura with Anindita Sinha, Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, Government Law College, Tripura, as the Initiator. The discussion highlighted Tripura’s rapid emergence as Northeast India's premier trade gateway, shedding its land-locked identity. Strategic infrastructure like the Maitri Setu bridge and the Agartala-Akhaura rail link provide unprecedented access to Bangladesh's Chattogram seaport, reducing transit times and costs. These new trade trails are designed to channel the Northeast’s unique products from bamboo and rubber to horticultural goods, directly into global supply chains. By effectively connecting local producers to international markets in Southeast Asia, Tripura is anchoring India's Act East Policy and forging a vital commercial corridor that truly links the local to the global.
Breakout Session II “The Infrastructure Frontier: Northeast India’s Connectivity Needs” was moderated by Susanta Dutta, Head School of Logistics, Communication & Waterways, Tripura and initiated by Rituparna Poddar, Associate Professor, Department of Economics, Netaji Subhash Mahavidyalaya, Udaipur, Tripura. The discussion established a clear consensus on how Tripura stands at the frontier of addressing Northeast India’s historic connectivity deficit. The state is pioneering a multi-modal infrastructure network, offering the entire region direct access to Bangladesh’s seaports and in effect the Bay of Bengal. This strategic push transcends isolated projects, creating a seamless web of transport corridors essential for overcoming geographical bottlenecks.
The second panel discussion, titled “Unfurling Mizoram’s Growth Story: Hindrances and Hopes,” was moderated by Ambar Kumar Ghosh, Associate Fellow, Development Studies, ORF. It brought together a distinguished panel of experts, including, Dipayan Ghosh, Chief Operating Officer, Tripura Rural Livelihood Mission, Government of Tripura; Subhrabaran Das, Professor & Head, Department of Economics, Tripura University, Tripura; Abhirupa Roy, Assistant Professor, Department of Tourism Administration, Tripura University, Tripura; Jayanti Bhattacharjee, Associate Professor, Department of Economics, Maharaja Bir Bikram College, Tripura. The panel emphasised that Tripura is actively operationalising India's 'Act East' policy by developing integrated value chains in high-potential sectors like rubber, bamboo, and natural gas. Tripura is focusing on two main things: training people for these new jobs and upgrading farming so its products can be sold to nearby countries. This complete strategy is expected to attract over 500 million USD from foreign investors and lead to economic growth of over 12 per cent within five years.
Subsequently, Breakout Session IV which was moderated by Lalmalsawmi Sailo, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Maharaja Bir Bikram College, Tripura, and initiated by Monica Molsom, Research Scholar, Department of Political Science, Tripura University, Tripura. The Session gave a brief idea about “People-to people Connectivity in India’s Northeast” from a sociological perspective. It explored various aspects of the theme ranging from employment opportunities to tourism expansions, cultural exchanges, shared identity, ethnic histories, traditional kinship structures, and cross-border cultural affinities.
The Breakout Session V titled, “Reset the Economy: Unleashing Opportunities for Tripura’s Youth,” was moderated by Tridib Bhattacharjee, CEO & Advisor Astramind Consulting, Maharashtra with Abhijit Dey, Research Scholar, Department of Political Science, Tripura University, Tripura, as the Initiator. It discussed how Tripura can combine smarter government spending with practical support like hackathons for new ideas, research into startup failures, and powerful access to global customers through digital marketplaces.
The third-panel discussion on “Northeast India on the World Stage: High Ground for India-US Ties,” was moderated by Sohini Bose, Associate Fellow, Neighbourhood Studies Initiative, ORF. It featured Biplab Debnath, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Tripura University, Tripura; Udayan Das, Assistant Professor, St. Xavier’s College (Autonomous) Kolkata, West Bengal; Jaydip Chakrabarti, Senior Journalist, Tripura Times, Tripura; Joyati Bhattacharya, Professor and Dean, Department of Political Science, Assam University, Assam; Smruti Pattanaik, Research Fellow, Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies & Analyses (MP-IDSA), New Delhi as expert panellists. As Tripura operationalises India's 'Act East' policy with infrastructure like the Maitri Setu bridge, it is transforming Northeast India into a strategic land bridge to the Indo-Pacific. By reconnecting the region to maritime trade via the Bay of Bengal, Tripura addresses post-partition isolation and builds resilient supply chains.
The event culminated with the presentation of a Scholars' Audit Report, which synthesised key recommendations derived from the day's proceedings. The scholars identified two critical priorities for the region's future: accelerating the development of multi-modal networks, particularly inland-waterways to enhance connectivity, and fostering a conducive investment climate to attract modern, high-tech industries in the Northeast. In her concluding remarks, Anasua Basu Ray Chaudhury reiterated the dialogue's core theme: the Northeast's capacity to serve as a strategic linchpin for strengthening economic and geopolitical cooperation across the Indo-Pacific.
This event report has been written by Sohini Bose and Sreerupa Basu
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