Manipur is situated in the eastern-most corner of Northeast India. The state shares borders with other northeast states like Nagaland, Mizoram and Assam, as well as with the neighbouring country of Myanmar. Due to its wealth of flora and fauna, Manipur is described as a ‘flower on lofty heights’, ‘a jewel of India’ and the ‘Switzerland of the East’. Its breathtaking scenic beauty makes it a tourist’s paradise.

Manipur has the advantage of acting as India's 'Gateway to the East' through Moreh town, which is the only feasible land route for trade between India and Myanmar, as well as other Southeast Asian countries. With about 3,268 square kms. of area covered by bamboo forests, Manipur is one of India’s largest bamboo producing states and a major contributor to the country’s bamboo industry.

Manipur has the highest number of handicraft units and the highest number of craft persons (skilled and semi-skilled artisans) in the entire Northeast region. Handlooms is the largest cottage industry in Manipur and the state ranks among the top five in terms of the number of looms in the country.

In November 2021, Minister of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and Textiles, Mr. Piyush Goyal, announced that a Rs. 30 crore (US$ 3,91 million) mega handloom cluster will be set up in the Imphal East district.

In the State Budget 2022-23, the Chief Minister Mr. Nongthombam Biren Singh stated that the state would establish a ‘Manipur Skill Development Institute’ and a ‘Manipur Skill Development University’.

At current prices, Manipur’s GSDP is likely to reach Rs. 451 billion (US$ 5.49 billion) in 2023-24. The state’s GSDP expanded at a CAGR of 11.03% between 2015-16 and 2023-24.

Total exports from Manipur stood at US$ 0.93 million in FY22 and US$ 0.3 million in FY23 (till August 2022). In FY22, cotton fabrics accounted for a majority (44.18%) of the merchandise exports from the state.

In 2021-22, the tertiary sector contributed 65.87% to the state’s GSVA at current prices, followed by the primary sector with a contribution of 27.43%.

As of May 2023, Manipur had a total installed power generation capacity of 238.38 MW. Out of the total installed power-generation capacity, 87.24 MW was contributed by hydropower, 133.26 MW by thermal power and 105.12 MW by renewable power.

According to the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), FDI inflows to other states* (this includes Manipur) totalled US$ 28.27 million between October 2019-June 2022.

Some of the major initiatives taken by the Government to promote Manipur as an investment destination are:

• Under the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL), as of June 2023, 47 stretches with a length of 996.39 km at total project cost of Rs. 15,544.55 crore (US$ 1.89 billion) are sanctioned. Till June 2023, about 133.63 km at is completed and the balance 862.76 km is under construction.
• As of April 2023, the Jiribam-Imphal new line railway project, one of the most important connectivity projects for the North-eastern region, has made 93.30% progress.
• In the North Eastern Region, 3179 km of road developments have been completed over the last five years. Furthermore, 79 projects totaling US$ 166.14 million (Rs. 1,359.61 crore) have been completed under various programmes conducted by the Ministry of Development of the North Eastern Region.
• In January 2023, the proportion of pupils aged 6 to 14 enrolled in government schools climbed from 28% in 2018 to 32.8% by 2022.
• In January 2023, Reliance Jio launches 5G services in all six states of the northeast circle in Arunachal Pradesh (Itanagar), Manipur (Imphal), Meghalaya (Shillong), Mizoram (Aizawl), Nagaland (Kohima and Dimapur), and Tripura (Agartala).
• According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), Manipur had 2.26 million wireless subscribers, and 50,000 wireline subscribers, as of December 2022. The number of internet subscribers in Manipur stood at 2.12 million, as of December 2022.
• Ministry of Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) has sanctioned 41 projects worth US$ 10.99 billion (Rs.90.00 crore), under Hill Area Development Programme.
• In July 2022, according to the National Handloom Census report, Manipur has around 2.12 lakh handloom weavers, 2.11 lakh looms, and 2 lakh handicraft workers.
• The handmade traditional textiles of Lasing Phee and Saphee Lanphee from Manipur got an honourable mention in a UNESCO report titled ‘Handmade for the 21st Century: Safeguarding Traditional Indian Textiles’.
• In July 2022, the Department of Sericulture, Government of Manipur, hosted a state-level workshop at the Imperial Hall of the Hotel Classic Grande on Silk Samagra-2 for the growth of sericulture in Manipur.
• Under the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL), as of March 2022, 39 stretches with a length of 738 km at total project cost of Rs. 11,854 crore (US$ 1.54 billion) are sanctioned out of which, about 46 km at cost of Rs. 869 crore (US$ 113.45 million) is completed and the balance 692 km is under construction.
• Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways, launched and laid the foundation stones for 15 national highway projects in Manipur in August 2021. The new projects cover a total distance of 298 kms and are expected to cost Rs. 4,148 crore (US$ 563.47 million).
• In September 2021, Manipur announced plans to roll out ‘Chief Minister’s Health for All’, a door-to-door healthcare service scheme, the first of its kind in the Northeast.
• Trials of 5G technology, also known as fifth-generation spectrum, will begin in Manipur soon, as of June 2021.
• In May 2021, the Manipur Organic Mission Agency (MOMA), a unit of the state’s horticulture and soil conservation department, introduced a mobile app to deliver fresh vegetables for day-to-day consumption and curb the distress sales of farm produces amid the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Under the State Budget 2021-22, Rs. 164,97.96 lakh (US$ 22.48 million) has been allocated for urban development, Rs. 133,86.10 lakh (US$ 18.24 million) has been allocated for health and family welfare, and Rs. 2,485 lakh (US$ 3.38 million) has been allocated for agriculture and allied activities.
• Three common facility centres for bamboo processing have been established at Tamenglong, Churachandpur, and Imphal. The Government of Manipur is building a Bamboo Technology Park at Kadamtala, Jiribam, with an estimated cost of US$ 104.3 million. In FY21, the annual allocation in Manipur to implement the ‘National Bamboo Mission’ stood at Rs. 65 million (US$ 0.88 million).
• Manipur is the first state in India to have set up the 4-core infrastructure of the National e-Governance Plan - Common Service Centre, Statewide Area Network, State Data Centre and State Portal, and State Service Delivery Gateway and e-forms.
• Hydropower majors such as Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (SJVNL) and National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Limited (NHPC) are jointly setting up a mega hydroelectric power project at Tipaimukh with an investment of US$ 2 billion.
• In September 2021, Manipur established the first of its kind Gas Insulated Sub-Station (GIS) at Thongju Part II under the North Eastern Region Power System Improvement Project (NERPSIP).
• Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi laid the foundation stones for the water supply project in Manipur in July 2020. Under the ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’, the Government of India has given funds to Manipur to cover 1,185 people with 1,42,749 households for freshwater household tap connections.
• The National Skill Training Institute (NSTI) Extension Centre, Manipur, was e-inaugurated at the Government ITI campus in July 2020. The centre is expected to facilitate training in the trades of motor mechanics, carpentry and electricians in the Crafts Instructor Training Scheme (CITS).

Note: * - Combined figures for Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Sikkim, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep