Manipur IT SEZ

Complete State/ UT (All District/Cities)

Manipur has a poor connection to the mainland, leading to limited private investment, geographical isolation, and limited industrialization. This has led to limited private investment and limited industrialization over the past decades. The development of the local digital innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem is limited due to lack of skilled workers and missing elements of the enabling environment, such as infrastructure, funding, and facilities. Skill Building activities in the IT Sector in Manipur does not appear to have made much inroads in actual employment generation. There is also a need to align training programs with industry needs and demands of today and to prepare young people for the future of work

• Development of ecosystem for encouraging IT/ITeS industry through development of infrastructure, capacity building, and promotion of IT industry.
• The project will focus on Skilling and Capacity Building of the local youth to ensure they are job ready & to create a talent pool for IT companies to attract investment to the SEZ.
• An MOU has been signed with Tata Technologies for setting up a Centre for Invention, Innovation, Incubation and Training in the IT SEZ in PPP mode at a project cost of Rs.200 Crore with State Share being Rs.30 crore. The Centre will train about 2000 trainees per year in e-vehicle manufacturing, mechatronics, emerging technologies, digital manufacturing, industrial robotics, advanced engineering manufacturing, automobile and value engineering, auto maintenance and repair, product design and development, product verification and analysis, product life-cycle management etc.
• An MOU has been signed with Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology for setting up a Manipur Technology Innovation – Hub (MTI-HUB). Focus of the MTI-Hub is to support innovation and carry out strategic events and workshops to promote innovation and entrepreneurship.
• An MOU has also been signed with HCL Techbee for providing Training cum Placement for 500 nos. of Class 12 pass students.
• IT Skilling Policy and IT Start-Up Policy is under preparation with inputs from World Bank and NASSCOM.
• A Pilot Project for both IT Skilling and IT Start-Up with World Bank Support is under consideration. State Level Assessment for both IT Skill and IT Start-Up requirements will be included in the Pilot Project.
• The proposed Manipur Infotech eNabled Development (MIND) Project, to be funded by the World Bank also aims to create a vibrant digital ecosystem in Manipur to enable new sources of economic growth in the state; it will do so through a comprehensive approach to addressing some of the critical bottlenecks and gaps in the foundations of the state’s digital economy and by investing in individuals and businesses

• The GoM seeks to connect the state’s young people to employment opportunities across India and promote job creation within the state by supporting digital startups, IT businesses, and digitization of government operations and public services.
• The Project will support improved access to advanced digital skills and to related employment opportunities for individuals across Manipur, while also positioning the state as a hub for digital skills development in the NER.
• Setting up of social infrastructure and investment for the success of the IT SEZ, a 60 rooms Hotel, a 75 bedded Multispecialty Hospital, and a Residential Apartment in PPP mode was planned.
• MOUs have been signed with Tata Technologies, Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Bhubaneshwar, HCL TechBee, for taking up Skilling and StartUp initiatives.

• The Manipur IT SEZ is divided into Processing Zone (8.76 lakh sq. ft.) and Non-Processing Zone (4.82 lakh sq. ft.).
• Processing Zone:
  • Processing Zone will host 5 IT Buildings
  • Building 1 has been constructed with State funds and is nearing completion and will be operational by May 2023
  • Funds have been sought in PPP mode for Building nos. 2, 3, 4 and 5.
• Non-Processing Zone: The components in Non-Processing Zone will be implemented in PPP mode.
  • 60 rooms Hotel
  • 75 bedded Multispecialty Hospital
  • Residential Apartments
  • Cultural and Recreational Hub
  • Skilling and Incubation Centres like “Centre for Invention, Innovation, Incubation and Training (CIIIT)” and “Manipur Technology Hub (MTI-HUB)”
• To support the implementation of IT-SEZ, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance in its 113th Screening Committee Meeting (SCM) held on 23rd December 2020 had granted approval for posing the proposal of IT-SEZ for external assistance of USD 46 Million from the World Bank. A project concept note approved in June 2022.
• Department of IT with the World Bank management concluded that the scope of the Project be expanded to also include Skilling and Entrepreneurship Development in IT/ITeS, improved access to Broadband, and a robust Digital Data Infrastructure and Digital Safeguards.
• The project was conceptualised and titled "MIND - Manipur Infotech eNabled Development (MIND)” Project. with the objective “to promote digital skills and entrepreneurship, increase access to broadband in Project areas, and to enhance and secure the foundations for digital government in Manipur”.

• Skill building activities in the IT Sector in Manipur does not appear to have made much inroads in actual employment generation. There is also a need to align training programs with industry needs and demands of today and to prepare young people for the future of work in emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and robotics.
• Digital inclusion, including access to the internet and digital literacy, are limited. And the state needs to build the foundations for digital service delivery, with the currently limited development of core digital government infrastructure, gaps in the cybersecurity readiness of the state, and limited digitization of public and private services.
• Lack of industry and investment in the State.
• There also exists gaps in connectivity and data infrastructure, limited capacity within the public and private sectors to implement national programs (such as those included in Digital India), and a weak skills base

• To connect the state’s young people to employment opportunities by supporting Digital StartUps, IT Businesses, and Digitization of Government Operations and Public Services.
• After discussions with the WorldBank the scope of the Project expanded to include Skilling and Entrepreneurship Development in IT/ITeS, improved access to Broadband, and a robust Digital Data Infrastructure and Digital Safeguards
• MIND Project is concepulized with objective “to promote digital skills and entrepreneurship, increase access to broadband in Project areas, and to enhance and secure the foundations for digital government in Manipur”.

A detailed identification mission was conducted in Imphal by a team of the World Bank and as part of the Project preparation step, various Stakeholder engagements have been conducted. The Project Concept Note thus prepared is an outcome of very good planning, understanding and response to industry needs. In addition to this, weekly monitoring and reporting of the implementation activity is being carried out to ensure that project is going in the right direction.

The IT SEZ will cater to employment generation as well as revenue for the State and envisages the following outcomes:

1. Estimated to generate 11,000 direct and 33,000 indirect jobs.
2. Potentially add Rs. 4600 crores to Manipur’s GDP.
3. IT Skilling in various Technologies.
4. Support for IT Start-Ups.
5. Encouraging investment in digital industries.
6. Improved broadband connectivity to support household employment.
7. A robust digital infrastructure through creation of a State Data Centre/Cloud capacity.
8. Strengthening cybersecurity and data regulation by creating a Security Operations Centre (SOC), Network Operations Centre (NOC) and a State Level Cyber Incident Response Team (CIRT).

• This Project will support realization of the GoM’s Vision for 2030, through its support to skills development (various Skilling initiatives are envisaged, some of which are already in the process of implementation – CIIIT in collaboration with TATA Technologies will train about 2000 students per year
• Industry linked Training in IT/ITeS has been conducted for 2000 students and a second batch of another 2000 students is underway; the MIND Project will train about 7500 individuals in IT/ITeS with 40% being females and 5% persons with disabilities), efforts to promote gender equality (by targeting 40% and 50% of trainees under the Project being females for Skill Development and StartUp respectively), and private sector development towards job creation, with technology playing an enabling role.
• About 10,000 beneficiaries are targeted under digital literacy programs by providing broadband-capable devices and bundled services with at least half being women to address the digital technology access and literacy barriers that women and girls face.
• Digital literacy training will be available to the over 50,000 people who have completed the PMGDISHA program, to youth and students of public educational institutions in Manipur, to women in rural areas and hill districts, and to members of households with schoolchildren, of women-headed households, and of households that include persons with disabilities.
• The project is estimated to generate 11,000 direct and 33,000 indirect jobs and potentially add Rs. 4600 crores to Manipur’s GDP. It will also provide for skilling, reskilling and upskilling of about Manipur and support Digital Entrepreneurship.

The Project will benefit the whole state of Manipur. It can be adopted/replicated in other smaller States where digital literacy, broadband connectivity and other foundations of digital infrastructure are not so advanced or that has similar problems.

• Support to StartUp ecosystem needs to be more fulfilling in terms of IT.
• Citizens need to be trained in Digital literacy programmes.
• NASSCOM can be utilized for understanding skill platforms

CIIIT will train about 2000 trainees per year in:

• Innovation Design and Incubation (IDI)
• Product Verification and Analysis (PVA)
• Product Lifecycle Management (PLM)
• Value Engineering and Value Analysis (VAVE)
• Autonomous Connected Electric Vehicle (ACE)
• Internet of Things (IoT)
• Advanced Manufacturing (AM)
• Digital Manufacturing (DM)
• Manufacturing Execution System (MES)