Neighbouring South Asian Countries have nothing to offer tbh
Recently, I pondered on this question: what are the things produced by other South Asian nations that can be truly utilized by India?
Apart from the India, the opposite is true when it comes to production capabilities of majority of South Asian region, which means that the majority of the countries in the region do not even produce simple things like centre lathe machine at a significant level. This proves that the region’s industrial base is extremely limited.
Trade among South Asian nations is minimal. Unfortunately, the majority of the nations face numerous political and economic problems, while countries like Sri Lanka and Maldives have very small manufacturing sector.
What is the benefit of any country being associated with South Asian nations in terms of economies?
Most trade and supply chain opportunities of India appear to be outside the region; namely East Asia, Europe, Middle East or North America. Thus, rather than trying to achieve South Asian integration once again, it seems more beneficial for India to ensure strong relationships with countries all over the world while minimizing dependence on the region gradually.