Skill development and act east policy in North East India: A review Khan Md. Akbar1, Sharma Hanjabam Shukhdeba2 1Md Akbar Khan, Ph.D. Scholar, Department of Social Work, Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, Regional Campus, Manipur, Email: mailme_ak009@yahoo.co.in 2Dr. Hanjabam Shukhdeba Sharma Assistant Professor, Department of Social Work, Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, Regional Campus, Manipur, Email: hanjabam@gmail.com Online published on 21 August, 2023. Abstract The North East states of India represent one of the most underdeveloped regions of the contry. Despite being rich in natural resources and having a high literacy rate among the native population over many other Indian states, there is low workforce participation and a high unemployment rate. There is an urgent need to increase the skilled workforce in this region as North Eastern Region (NER) has been realized as a strategic position for India. To expedite economic growth, the Look East policy was transformed into Act East Policy (AEP) by our Honorable Prime Minister. This study analyzes the role of AEP on the skill development of youth from this area. It was revealed that under this policy, various initiatives had been employed towards skill development by the Government of India.The current status of the industrial training institutes as the formal means of learning was realized, and the challenges these institutes face were identified. Based on these, the recommendations and policy implications were suggested. This study concludes that skill development in this region requires immediate attention from all stakeholders in order to convert unemployability into better returns. Top Keywords Skill development, Skill training, Skill development initiatives, Act Easy Policy, North Eastern Region. Top |