• Samuel Gaithaipou Reamei

The watershed that changed India's international policy was the Act East Policy (AEP). It is a follow-up to the Look East Policy (LEP) and aims to increase connectivity, trade, and strategic relationships with the countries that comprise Southeast Asia. This trust is establishing a multi-modal connectivity network connecting the northeastern part of India to Southeast Asian markets via roadways, railroads, and a cross-border facilitation centre. Section 4 researches the significant AEP projects, including the Trans-Asian Railway, the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway, and the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transport (Vajiram, 2023). It examines the success of the initiatives being undertaken, their implications for geopolitics, and their economic and social impact. These projects are profitable for the development and integration of the region, yet they also present numerous challenges. These include hard geography, environmental incompetence, bureaucratic inefficiencies, and security concerns, as well as rivalry with China's Belt and Road Initiative in the geopolitical landscape. This paper highlights an inherent contradiction: AEP connectivity initiatives have the potential to improve things, but institutional, infrastructural, and socio-political issues continue to limit their effectiveness. This paper will comment on the two projects (India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway and the Trans Asian Railway). Policy proposals for enhancing the effectiveness of the programs, fostering collaboration among regional stakeholders, and ensuring sustainable progress through participatory governance will be presented at the conclusion of the study.

Northeast Connectivity, ASEAN-India relations, infrastructure development, cross-border trade.

" Connectivity Projects Under the Act East Policy Opportunities and Challenges", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.13, Issue 1, page no.b480-b488, January-2026, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2601170.pdf

" Connectivity Projects Under the Act East Policy Opportunities and Challenges", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.13, Issue 1, page no. ppb480-b488, January-2026, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2601170.pdf