Himachal Govt Aims to Boost Women Entrepreneurs at HIM MSME Fest

The Himachal Pradesh government has announced a three-day HIM MSME Fest, scheduled from January 3 to 5, 2026, aimed at connecting rural craftspersons, artisans, women entrepreneurs and young startup founders with industry stakeholders, investors, e-commerce platforms and technology experts.

The event, organised by the state’s Department of Industries, is intended as more than a trade exhibition, with the government positioning it as a platform to encourage entrepreneurship beyond traditional craft identities.

The fest will include networking opportunities specifically for women entrepreneurs and will bring in senior political figures, industry stakeholders and business mentors.

According to the Additional Chief Secretary for Industries, R.D. Nazeem, the event is intended to elevate the state’s reputation from its established image of tourism and heritage toward a more dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The focus on women follows persistent gaps in female participation in the state’s MSME sector. Government data shows that Himachal Pradesh ranked 26th in the country for women-owned MSMEs registered on the Udyam portal. Between 2020 and 2024, only 22% of MSMEs in the state registered on the platform were owned by women, much lower than states like Tripura, where about 66% of registered MSMEs were led by women.

At the national level, the landscape shows a growing but uneven pattern. As of late 2025, official figures show that more than 2.86 crore women-led MSMEs are registered on the Udyam platform, reflecting a significant rise in female entrepreneurship across India.

National data further suggests women account for a sizable share of the country’s MSMEs, with some reports estimating women-owned firms make up nearly 39% of the sector nationally under the revised Udyam registration criteria.

Despite these national gains, broader research highlights structural challenges domestically, women comprise only around 20-22% of MSMEs in India and account for a smaller share of employment and investment relative to overall enterprise numbers, with rural women often facing limited market, credit and technology access.

The Economic Survey 2024-25 also noted that while women are heavily represented in traditional crafts and rural sectors, ownership of enterprises remains disproportionately to male, especially as businesses scale from micro to small and medium levels.

In this context, the HIM MSME Fest could play a role in addressing visibility and network gaps by linking women entrepreneurs in Himachal with buyers, mentors and digital platforms.

Himachal’s government also cites a broader policy framework of welfare and empowerment schemes targeted at women, ranging from monthly income support to social welfare and entrepreneurship-linked schemes. While these schemes address socio-economic barriers, direct business development support, including access to capital, mentorship, and market linkage, remains critical for converting participation into sustained MSME growth.

The upcoming MSME fest thus represents a strategic intervention by the state, aligning with national trends toward formalisation and inclusion but testing how concerted events and policy attention can translate into tangible improvements in women-led enterprise creation and sustainability in a state currently below the national average.