Last updated: Dec, 2023
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 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 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. 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$ 0.69 million in FY23 and US$ 0.06 million in FY24 (until July 2024). In FY23, bicycles and parts accounted for a majority (33%) of the merchandise exports from the state.
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 September 2023, Manipur had a total installed power generation capacity of 270.40 MW. Of the total installed power-generation capacity, 87.24 MW was contributed by hydropower, 164.68 MW by thermal power and 105.72 MW by renewable power as of September 2023.
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 km, run through the state. In FY24 (until September), Imphal Airport handled 1,004 metric tonnes of freight.
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). The project achieved a progress of 93.30% in April 2023.
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.
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).
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*).
According to the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), FDI inflows to Manipur totalled US$ 0.0006 million between October 2019-June 2023.
Recent Developments in Key Sectors
- 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).
- 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 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
