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 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

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. 45,145 crore (US$ 5.49 billion) (budget estimate) in 2023-24. The state’s GSDP is expected to expand at a CAGR of 11.03% between 2015-16 and 2023-24.

Total exports from Manipur stood at US$ 0.30 million in FY24. Products of Iron and steel, Plastic sheets, Drugs, Readymade garments etc., were the other key products that had a significant share in Manipur’s exports.

In 2021-22, the tertiary sector contributed 64.77% to the state’s GSVA at current prices, followed by the primary sector with a contribution of 26.76%.

As of March 2024, Manipur had a total installed power generation capacity of 270.41 MW. Out of the total installed power-generation capacity, 87.24 MW was contributed by hydropower, 164.68 MW by thermal power and 105.73 MW by renewable power as of March 2024.

According to the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), FDI inflows to Manipur totalled US$ 0.0006 million between October 2019- March 2024.

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

• 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.
• Under the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL), as of October 2023, 43 projects with a length of 917 km at a total project cost of Rs. 14,259 crore (US$ 1.71 billion) are ongoing.
• Till October 2023, about 80 km are completed with a length of 80 km at a total project cost of Rs. 1,286 crore (US$ 154.41 million).
• In May 2023, the Jiribam-Imphal new line railway project was completed in Manipur.
• In the Northeastern Region, 3179 km of road developments have been completed over the last five years. Furthermore, 79 projects totalling Rs. 1,359.61 crore (US$ 166.14 million) have been completed under various programmes conducted by the Ministry of Development of the Northeastern 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 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).
• According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), Manipur had 2.43 million wireless subscribers, and 50,000 wireline subscribers, as of March 2023.
• 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 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.
• 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 km 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 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.
• 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