The concept of "India and its Neighborhood" is primarily articulated through the Neighbourhood First Policy (NFP), a diplomatic strategy and foreign policy initiative. While the policy of prioritizing neighbors has been a core element of Indian foreign policy since 1947, the formal NFP was conceived around 2008 and intensified post-2014 under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The policy was created to manage and strengthen relations with India's immediate neighbors, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
The NFP aims to solve the problem of low regional integration and counter the growing influence of external powers, particularly China, in South Asia. It works through 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 Kaladan Multimodal Transit Transport Project, and fostering energy cooperation through regional power markets. The policy is guided by the 5S framework: Samman (respect), Samvad (dialogue), Shanti (peace), Samriddhi (prosperity), and Sanskriti (culture).
The NFP connects directly to the Gujral Doctrine of 1997, which emphasized non-reciprocity and non-interference in the internal affairs of smaller neighbors. It also maintains synergy with the Act East Policy, which focuses on the extended neighborhood in the Asia-Pacific region. A significant recent change was the operationalization of the historic Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) with Bangladesh, which was ratified and implemented after 2014, resolving a long-contested post-partition boundary issue. The core principle of prioritizing neighbors for regional stability and prosperity has stayed the same, but the NFP has shifted towards a more proactive, connectivity-driven, and economically integrated approach.