Socioeconomic Impact of Border Haat in Meghalaya : A Case Study of Kalaichar Border Haat

The India and Bangladesh governments, in order to uplift the socioeconomic development of the people inhabiting the Indo-Bangladesh border, opened the border haat at Kalaichar in South-West Garo Hills district of Meghalaya, India on July 23, 2011. In this paper, an attempt was made to assess the socioeconomic impact of Kalaichar Border Haat on the vendors. The findings of the study revealed that mainly agricultural items of local origin are exported to Bangladesh by the local vendors through Kalaichar Border Haat. The study also revealed that the opening of the border haat had a positive impact on the socioeconomic life of the vendors. After four years of border trade, the local vendors enjoyed better socioeconomic conditions in the form of better education for their children, better sanitation & electricity facilities, and weekly income source.