The Neighborhood First Policy (NFP) is a core foreign policy concept of India that prioritizes strengthening relations with its immediate neighbors. The policy was formally conceived in 2008, with its focus intensifying post-2014, to guide India's approach toward countries in its periphery. The primary problem it seeks to solve is ensuring peace and tranquility in South Asia, which is essential for India's development agenda, and to counter the growing influence of external powers, particularly China, in the region.
The NFP works on a consultative, non-reciprocal, and outcome-oriented approach, focusing on enhancing physical, digital, and people-to-people connectivity. Key mechanisms include providing development assistance, implementing infrastructure projects like the Greater Malé Connectivity Project in the Maldives, and increasing high-level political engagements. The policy is guided by the "5S" principles: Samman (respect), Samvad (dialogue), Shanti (peace), Samriddhi (prosperity), and Sanskriti (culture). Countries covered under the policy include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
The NFP connects to regional groupings like the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), and is often seen alongside the maritime security vision of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region). While the core principles of prioritizing neighbors and non-reciprocity have stayed the same, the policy has recently been adapting to complex regional shifts and political upheavals in countries like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Nepal. This adaptation involves a move toward a more "differentiated and context-specific" engagement, recognizing that a one-size-fits-all strategy is insufficient for the diverse needs of the neighborhood.