Garhwal Post Bureu
New Delhi, 22 Jul: Haridwar MP and former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Trivendra Singh Rawat has strongly advocated for the nationwide promotion of homestay facilities to ease travel for pilgrims and tourists. He raised this issue during the opening day of Parliament’s Monsoon Session in the Lok Sabha.
In response, Union Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat shared that the Union Budget for 2025–26 has announced collateral-free institutional loans to bolster homestay ventures, with the objective of supporting their development across the country. He further explained that, under the Prime Minister’s Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan (PM-UVGA), the government aims to develop 1,000 homestays nationwide. To facilitate this, financial assistance of up to Rs 5 crores may be provided for establishing 5 to 10 homestays per village, with clusters of 5 to 6 villages identified in various states and union territories. In Uttarakhand, tribal regions such as Chakrata, Uttarkashi, Chamoli, and Pithoragarh can be expected to benefit from this cluster-based approach.
In response to Rawat’s query, Shekhawat further stated that to ensure quality and offer a superior experience to tourists, the Ministry of Tourism is categorising homestays under the Incredible India Bed and Breakfast scheme into ‘Gold’ and ‘Silver’ tiers. Concurrently, the Capacity Building Scheme for Service Providers (CBSP) is also imparting training, education, and certification to homestay operators, tour guides, and other professionals in the hospitality domain. This initiative is poised to open new avenues for employment and entrepreneurship in both rural and urban sectors of the tourism industry.
The Union Minister added that advancing Digital India initiatives, the Ministry is also working on improving the Incredible India website to serve as a comprehensive digital hub for tourism-related information and services. Homestay bookings and associated services are already accessible through various private platforms operating via Online Travel Agencies (OTAs), further streamlining travel experiences for domestic and international visitors.
