Introduction
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.
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.
With regards to infrastructure, Imphal, Manipur’s capital city, has one airport and Air India provides air cargo services. Eleven national highways, with a total length of 1,750 kms, run through the state. Indian Railways is constructing the world's highest pier bridge across the river Ijai in Manipur. The construction of the Manipur Pier Bridge is worth Rs. 2.8 billion (US$ 38 million) and is scheduled for completion in March 2022.
Manipur was added to India's railway map when the first passenger train arrived in the state and completed a successful trial run in July 2021.
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.
Mr. 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*).
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.
Recent Developments in Key Sectors
- 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.
- In October 2022, the Noney battalion of the Assam Rifles organised a medical camp at Veitum Khullen and nearby villages in Manipur's Kangpokpi district in an effort to provide basic healthcare services in rural regions.
- In September 2022, Manipur Textiles Minister Ms. Nemcha Kipgen announced that a “Preparatory Support Scheme” to support the handloom weavers in the state would be announced soon.
- Raw silk production in Manipur stood at 502 metric tonnes in 2021-22.
- In 2021-22, the total production of horticulture crops in the state was expected to be 863.55 thousand tonnes and the area under production was 84.58 thousand hectares. In 2021-22, the total production of vegetables and fruits in the state was estimated at 0.339 million tonnes and 0.463 million tonnes, respectively.
- 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.
- 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.
Note: * - Combined figures for Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Sikkim, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep
FACTFILE
Capital
ImphalGeographical Area (sq km)
22,327State Language
Meiteilon, English and HindiLiteracy Rate
76.9 per centKey Industries:
Handlooms & Handicrafts
Sericulture
Food processing
Bamboo processing
Information Technology
Hydro power
Tourism
Mineral-based products
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