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 8,377 square km of area covered by bamboo forests, Manipur is one of India’s
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 an 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. 60,112 crore (US$ 7.02 billion) (budget estimate) in 2025-26. The state’s GSDP is expected to expand at a CAGR of 11.90% between 2015-16 and 2025-26.
Total exports from Manipur stood at Rs. 10.36 crore (US$ 1.21 million) in FY25. Products of Petroleum, Drugs, Cotton Yarn, Ceramic products, etc., were the other key products that had a significant share in Manipur’s exports.
In 2023-24, the tertiary sector contributed 68.34% to the state’s GSVA at current prices, followed by the secondary sector (10.31%) and primary sector (21.35%).
In FY25, Manipur had a total installed power generation capacity of 271.16 MW. Of the total installed power-generation capacity, 87.24 MW was contributed by hydropower, 164.68 MW by thermal power and 106.48 MW by renewable power as of FY25.
With regards to infrastructure, Imphal, Manipur’s capital city, has one airport and Air India provides air cargo services. In FY25, Imphal Airport handled 6,199.9 metric tonnes of freight.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways approved 50 National Highway projects in Manipur, spanning a total length of 1,026 kilometers. Out of these, 44 projects covering 902 kilometers are focused on the hilly regions. As of October 2024, eight projects totaling 125 kilometers have been completed in the hilly regions. Currently, 36 projects are underway, with a budget of Rs. 12,000 crore (US$ 1.40 billion) allocated for the remaining 777 kilometers. For the upcoming Annual Plan of FY25, the Ministry has earmarked two additional National Highway projects worth Rs. 1,350 crore (US$ 158.82 million), targeting a length of 90 kilometers in hilly areas.
As of February 2025, the Jiribam-Imphal new line railway project has achieved physical progress of 93.30%. The total length of tunnels is 61.32 km, out of which 59.11 km of tunneling works have been completed. The project will have a total of 11 major bridges and 137 minor bridges, with five major bridges and 101 minor bridges already completed. The Noney Bridge, which will be the world's tallest railway pier bridge at 141 meters, is nearing completion.
In May 2023, the Jiribam-Imphal new line railway project was completed in Manipur.
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.
According to the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), FDI inflows to Manipur totalled Rs. 1,00,000 (US$ 600) between October 2019-December 2024.
On February 3, 2025, Chief Minister Mr. N. Biren Singh inaugurated the Art and Culture building and an Open Gym at Manipur University. He also laid the foundation stones for a 33/11 KVA Substation and a swimming pool within the university campus. The Chief Minister emphasized the importance of fitness in modern sedentary lifestyles and highlighted the role of educational institutions in shaping future leaders.
The total production of horticulture crops in the state was expected to be 847.35 thousand tonnes and the area under production was 83.07 thousand hectares. In 2024-25, the total production of vegetables and fruits in the state was estimated at 0.321 million tonnes and 0.446 million tonnes, respectively.
Recent Developments in Key Sectors
- According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), Manipur had 2.38 million wireless subscribers, and 0.07 million wireline subscribers, as of September 2024. The number of internet subscribers in Manipur stood at 2.29 million, as of September 2024.
- The College Fagathansi mission aims to enhance government college infrastructure in the state by utilizing the Scheme for Capital Investment for financial support. The state plans to allocate approximately Rs. 60 crore (US$ 7.2 million) towards this initiative in the fiscal year 2024-25.
- The Manipur credit Guarantee Scheme, initiated in January 2023, aims to expand the guaranteed loan coverage for Micro and Small Enterprises as well as startups. The state government has allocated an initial fund of Rs. 10 crore (US$ 1.2 million) for this scheme.
- In budget FY24 it is planned that VAT from Oil Marketing Companies will be collected at the source and demands for property taxes from municipalities will be raised by the MAHUD department.
- In October 2023, a 373-km road project between Aizawl and Tuipang in the southern part of Manipur is expected to be completed by June 2025.
- In August 2023, the first National Sports University of the country in Manipur at a total sanctioned cost of Rs. 643.34 crore (US$ 77.24 million).
- In July 2023, Ircon International announced that it had secured orders worth Rs. 144 crore (US$ 17.29 million) for a Railway Network Contract in Manipur.
- In February 2023, a US company announced to invest US$ 500 million in Manipur’s tourism with several other foreign investments on the cards.
- 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.
- Reliance Jio launched 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).
- The number of internet subscribers in Manipur stood at 2.18 million, as of March 2023.
- Ministry of Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) has sanctioned 41 projects worth Rs. 90 crore (US$ 10.99 billion), under the Hill Area Development Program.
- 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 produce 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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