Shimla: Will the Him MSME Fest truly turn out to be a game changer for Himachal Pradesh’s start-ups, or will it quietly fade away like yet another three-day trade mela?
As the Sukhu government prepares to roll out the Him MSME Fest 2026, the promise of industrial revival raised by the Sukhu government is high, but so are the unanswered questions on jobs, markets, investments and accountability.
Scheduled from January 3 to 5, 2026, in Shimla, the fest is being projected as a landmark initiative to push Himachal Pradesh towards Atmanirbhar industrial growth.
A big claim. Yet, even before the curtains rise, the organisers have not shared any concrete data with the media—how many MSMEs are participating, the scale of business expected, or the number of jobs likely to be generated.
For many observers, these missing numbers will ultimately determine whether the event delivers real outcomes or remains a symbolic showcase.
However Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said the Department of Industries is organising the festival as a powerful platform to realise the aspirations of thousands of small entrepreneurs, artisans and start-ups across the state.
He said the event would connect Himachal’s MSME sector with markets, investments and modern technologies, while giving it national and international recognition.
According to the Chief Minister, the festival would strengthen the vision of Atmanirbhar Himachal by fostering innovation, enterprise and inclusive growth.
With the theme “The Craft of the Hills on the Global Stage,” the government claims the fest will link Himachal’s traditional and local products with global markets.
The Chief Minister said the event would serve as a convergence point for emerging and established start-ups, allowing entrepreneurs to showcase products, interact with investors and buyers, and explore expansion opportunities.
Industries Minister Harsh Vardhan Chauhan said the inaugural session would feature Start-up Awards and a felicitation ceremony, followed by a cultural evening showcasing Himachal’s folk traditions.
A special exhibition of handcrafted shawls on the first day will highlight the state’s weaving and handicraft heritage, offering visitors a window into Himachal’s economic and cultural diversity.
Chauhan said the state is prioritising sectors such as green mobility, defence manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, dairy, food processing, artificial intelligence, electronic chips and data centres to accelerate industrialisation.
He claimed that strategic dialogues are being held with leading industry players in these emerging sectors to attract fresh investments.
The festival will also place special emphasis on women entrepreneurship and the One District One Product (ODOP) initiative, which is launched by the Central government.
Through buyer-seller meets, networking sessions and knowledge-sharing platforms, women and rural entrepreneurs are expected to gain access to new opportunities, strengthening the rural economy, say officials.
Direct interactions are also planned with major platforms such as Amazon, Walmart, ONDC and GI-tagged marketplaces, aimed at providing wider market access to Himachali products.
The event is being organised in consultation with Ernst & Young, CII and the BRICS Chamber of Commerce and Industry, raising expectations that the fest will go beyond symbolism and deliver structured outcomes.
However, the scepticism surrounding the Him MSME Fest is rooted in Himachal’s unresolved industrial accountability, particularly in the Baddi–Barotiwala–Nalagarh (BBN) industrial corridor, the state’s largest industrial hub.
Successive governments have maintained a veil of secrecy over the actual role of industry in job creation—how many Himachali youth are employed, and how effectively these industries contribute to the state’s long-term industrial development.
This governance gap recently came under sharp focus in the Himachal Pradesh High Court, which exposed serious lapses in monitoring Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds.
The court was informed that the state government had no data on how CSR funds were being utilised, nor did it possess a verified list of companies liable to pay CSR in Himachal Pradesh.
It was only after the High Court’s intervention that it came to light that over 70 companies owe CSR funds to the state, a fact the government itself had failed to track, as reported by www.himbumail.com.
The revelation has triggered uncomfortable questions about institutional oversight at a time when the government is projecting platforms like the Him MSME Fest as engines of inclusive growth and employment.
Business leaders argue that without transparency on jobs, investments, CSR contributions and local value addition, such high-profile events risk remaining impressive on paper but shallow in impact.
Whether the Him MSME Fest 2026 emerges as a genuine catalyst for Himachal’s start-ups or ends up as a fleeting exhibition will ultimately be judged not by speeches and cultural evenings, but by data, deals, durable markets and real jobs for the state’s youth.
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