Written by Saurabh ParasharShimla | Updated: November 15, 2025 09:19 PM IST 2 min readThe 15-day festival will feature stalls dominated by handloom and handicraft products, along with natural and organic farm items. (Express photo)Aiming to generate approximately Rs 2.5 crore in revenue, the Himachal Pradesh State Handicrafts and Handloom Corporation (HHHC) has increased the number of stalls at the third edition of Him Utsav from 60 to 86. The fortnight-long event began on November 16 at Dilli Haat in New Delhi.The 15-day festival will feature stalls dominated by handloom and handicraft products, along with natural and organic farm items. Most participating artisans are women-led self-help groups (SHGs) from across Himachal Pradesh.“Himachal Pradesh started providing platforms to its artisans at Dilli Haat, a vibrant marketplace, in 2023. In the first year, HHHC earned Rs 1.70 crore, which increased to nearly Rs 2 crore in 2024. This time, we have set a target of approximately Rs 2.50 crore, along with securing at least 26 additional stalls for local artisans to showcase their products. In 2024, we managed to get 60 stalls for our artisans,” HHHC Managing Director Gandharva Rathore said.Rathore added that 16 stalls have been allotted to the Rural Livelihood Mission (RLM), five to agriculture and forest products, and the remaining to handicraft and handloom items. “All proceeds from sales will go directly to the artisans. Neither the state government nor the Corporation will take any share of the profit. However, artisans selected for Him Utsav are responsible for arranging their own stay, loading, unloading, and related logistics,” he said.A senior official said that although some artisans promoting their products on social media were approached, none appeared before the selection committee. “Despite this, we have accommodated a few start-ups involved in perfumes, fragrances and decorative items,” the officer said.During the financial year 2023–2024, the corporation reportedly supported 420 artisans and distributed improved toolkits to 340 among them. In 2024–25, it conducted 107 design and technical development workshops and six entrepreneur development programmes, benefiting nearly 2,500 artisans.As per the HHHC, it earned a profit of Rs 40.92 lakh in 2021–22. Between April 1 and July 31, 2024, it recorded sales of handicraft and handloom products worth Rs 4.12 crore. During 2024–25, the corporation is also organising two tana bana (handloom) expos in Shimla and Dharamshala, providing free space to 25 weavers to sell their products directly to customers.Saurabh Parashar is a journalist with The Indian Express, where he primarily covers developments in Himachal Pradesh. He has been associated with The Indian Express since 2017 and has earlier worked with The Times of India. He has 17 year + experience in the field of print journalism. An alumnus of Government College for Men, Sector 11, (Panjab University), Chandigarh, Saurabh holds a Diploma in Journalism from Bhartiya Vidya Bhawan, Chandigarh. He pursued his Master’s in Mass Communication from Guru Jambheshwar University of Science & Technology, Hisar. In addition, he completed his law degree from Himachal Pradesh University (HPU), Shimla. ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Himachal Pradesh