Kangpokpi district is an administrative district of the state of Manipur in north-eastern India. The district is named after its headquarters town, Kangpokpi, which lies along the National Highway connecting Imphal with Dimapur in Nagaland. The district was carved out as a separate administrative unit in 2016 as part of a wider reorganisation of Manipur's districts.
| Country | India |
|---|---|
| State | Manipur |
| Headquarters | Kangpokpi |
| Formed | 2016 |
| Region | Hill districts of Manipur |
Kangpokpi district was created on 8 December 2016, when the Government of Manipur, then headed by Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh, announced the formation of seven new districts by bifurcating existing ones. Kangpokpi was carved out of the erstwhile Senapati district. The reorganisation increased the number of districts in Manipur from nine to sixteen and was intended to bring administration closer to people in remote hill areas, although it was met with protests from some community organisations in the affected regions.
The district lies in the hilly northern part of Manipur and shares boundaries with several other districts of the state, including Senapati to the north, Imphal West and Imphal East to the south, and Tamenglong to the west. The terrain is largely mountainous, characterised by forested ridges and valleys typical of the eastern Himalayan foothills. The Imphal–Dimapur National Highway passes through the district, making Kangpokpi an important transit point along one of Manipur's principal lifelines for goods and passenger movement.
The district is headed by a Deputy Commissioner and is further divided into subdivisions and administrative blocks. Like other hill districts of Manipur, parts of Kangpokpi fall under the Sixth Schedule–related autonomous district council framework administered through the Sadar Hills Autonomous District Council, which has historically administered local affairs in the Sadar Hills area.
The population of Kangpokpi district is ethnically diverse, with significant communities belonging to the Kuki-Zo group of tribes, alongside Naga and other communities. Christianity is the predominant religion among the tribal population, while smaller communities of Meiteis and other groups follow Hinduism and other faiths. The languages spoken include Thadou, other Kuki-Chin languages, Tangkhul and related Naga languages, Meiteilon (Manipuri), and English, which serves as an official link language.
The local economy is largely agrarian, with shifting cultivation (jhum), terrace farming, and horticulture forming the basis of rural livelihoods. Crops include rice, maize, vegetables, and fruits suited to the temperate hill climate. Trade and small enterprise are concentrated along the highway corridor, particularly in and around the headquarters town.
Kangpokpi's location on the Imphal–Dimapur corridor gives it strategic importance for trade, mobility, and security in Manipur. The district also reflects the long-standing demand of the Sadar Hills region for separate district status, a demand that had been articulated by local civil society organisations for several decades before its creation in 2016.