Moreh, India

According to 2011 Indian census the town of Moreh is a multi-religious town and the Christians getting the clear majority. there are 4,403 being Hindus, 2,354 being Muslims, 9,547 being Christians, 57 being Sikhs, 109 being Buddhists, 17 being Jains, 33 didn't specify any Religion, 327 Others.[12]

Moreh had an average literacy rate of 71.47%,which is lower than the Manipur's average literacy rate of 76.94%: male literacy was around 79.52%,which was also lower than the state average of 76.94%. and female literacy was 62.88%, was again lower than the state average of 70.26%

The predominant language in Moreh is the Thadou language. The town is also multi-ethnic with other prominent languages like Hindi, Tamil, Zou, Mizo, Meiteilon, etc, and many more.This town also has a substantial population of Tamils who migrated from Myanmar (Burma) when they were forced to leave during the 1962 Burmese coup d'état.[13]

Moreh has the local Border Haat trade, under the India-Myanmar Barter Trade mechanism, in which over 40 tradable items are listed. Major exports include cement, engineering goods, transport equipment, motor cycles, iron and steels, medicine, chemicals and allied products, cotton yarn, etc. The major items now imported from Myanmar through barter mechanism are betel nuts, turmeric, red kidney beans (Rajma), kuth roots, gram, resin, dry ginger, etc.

India's Ministry of Finance has also operationalised the "normal international trade" through Moreh Integrated Check Post (Moreh ICP).[16]

Moreh ICP, costing Rs. 136 crores on 18.41 hectares (45.50 acres) land near Gate No.1 within Customs notified area, facilitates speedy movement of export-import consignments under India's Look East Policy.[19] ICP has Immigration Department, Narcotics & Drug Control Department, Land Customs Department, Customs Preventive Department, Animal Quarantine, Plant Quarantine, local Police including Women Constables, Quality Certification Inspection Agencies and Export Promotion Councils, Trade Facilitation Counter and Trade related Public Bodies, Food Testing Lab, Postal Department, Forests Department, bank counter, telecom, truck parking, staff quarters, basic amenities such as canteen, truck drivers’ rest house, etc.

Imphal Airport (110 km northwest of Moreh) is the nearest airport in India. Homalin Airport (120 km north) and Kalaymyo Airport (133 km south) are the nearest airport in Myanmar.[20]

Media briefing in New Delhi on Imphal-Moreh NH-102 upgrade, 2017.

Moreh is on the Asian Highway 1 (AH1),[21] which is the longest route of the Asian Highway Network, running 20,557 km (12,774 mi) from Tokyo, Japan via Korea, China, Southeast Asia, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran to the border between Turkey and Bulgaria west of Istanbul where it joins end-on with European route E80, running all the way to Lisbon, Portugal.

India–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highway, 1,408 km (875 mi) long section of AH1, connects Imphal-Moreh in India with Mae Sot in Thailand via Mandalay-Kalewa-Yagyi in Myanmar.[7] It will boost India's trade and commerce with ASEAN under ASEAN–India Free Trade Area.[5][22][23][24] Imphal-Moreh route Its upgrade was already complete by 2017, however it is further being upgraded to Asian Highway Standard in 3 packages, one of which was complete and remaining 2 will be completed by 2023 as per November 2020 status update.[25] In November 2020, Bangladesh expressed interest to join this Highway.[26] India plans to upgrade route from Zokhawthar in Mizoram to Tedim in Chin State of Myanmar as an additional connect to the IMT trilateral highway.[27]

Trans-Asian Railway's (TAR) Southern Corridor (also called ITI-DKD-Y), once completed, will connect Yunnan in China and Thailand with Europe via India and Turkey. As of 2021, all freight traffic from Asia to Europe goes by sea. TAR will enable containers from Singapore, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand and Korea to travel over land by train to Europe. The proposed route will enter India at Moreh from Tamu in Myanmar, then enter Bangladesh through Mahisasan and Shahbajpur and again enter India from Bangladesh at Gede. On the western side, the line will enter Pakistan at Attari.[8]

To bridge the missing gap in the TAR's ITI-DKD-Y route, India and Myanmar plan to interconnect their railway networks via a 346 km (215 mi) line that will extend under-construction Jiribam-Imphal line to Moreh-Tamu border and then to existing Kalay railhead in Myanmar.[28] 180 kilometres (110 mi) of the missing link, from Jiribam to Moreh-Tamu on Myanmar border, falls in India,[29][30][31][32] out of which 110 kilometres (68 mi) Jiribam–Imphal line is under construction,[33] and remaining 70 kilometres (43 mi) Imphal-Moreh line is under planning.[8][34] Japan was conducting feasibility for the 166 kilometres (103 mi) Moreh-Tamu-Kalay link in Myanmar.[35]

Jiribam–Imphal line, 111 km long line, has a likely completion date of December 2023 as per August 2021 status update.[33][4]

Imphal–Moreh-Kalay line, the Jiribam–Imphal line will be extended nearly 70 km to Moreh on the India–Myanmar border. Under the Look East policy of India, the line will be extended from Moreh to the existing railhead of Myanmar rail network at Kalay (also called Kale and Kalemyo) to form part of the ambitious Trans-Asian Railway.[4] Indian plans to extend Imphal rail link to Moreh and eventually to the Myanmar railway system, allowing onward connectivity to Thailand and China. In 2007, plan for Imphal-Moreh was expressed by India.[34][8] In January 2018, India initiated a preliminary survey to determine the feasibility of establishing a rail link parallel to the India–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highway. Japan expressed interest in collaborating with India and funding the proposed rail link.[35]