Parliament Question: Boosting Home-Stay Tourism in Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary Area

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF TOURISM LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.†2434 ANSWERED ON 03.08.2026 BOOSTING HOME-STAY TOURISM IN KATARNIAGHAT WILDLIFE SANCTUARY AREA †2434. DR. ANAND KUMAR:

Will the Minister of TOURISM be pleased to state:

(a) the details of number of home-stays currently registered and operational in the Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary area of Uttar Pradesh and new home-stays established during the last three years;

(b) whether the Government agrees that promoting home-stay tourism in the said area can strengthen the rural economy, create employment opportunities for local youth, and encourage local handicrafts culture and products;

(c) if so, the details of steps taken to provide financial assistance, skill training, marketing, registration and other facilities for setting up of home-stays in the said region; and

(d) whether the Government is considering implementing any special scheme or action plan to increase the number of home-stays in the Katarniaghat area of Bahraich and if so, the details thereof? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF TOURISM (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)

(a): Homestays in Uttar Pradesh are registered/approved by the State Government of Uttar Pradesh under its Uttar Pradesh Bed & Breakfast and Homestay Policy, 2025. However, as per the data available with the NIDHI+ portal of the Ministry of Tourism, the number of homestays in Uttar Pradesh registered and classified under the voluntary scheme of the Ministry, is 1,921 and 76 respectively.

(b) to (d): Yes. The increase in accommodation units such as homestays encourages tourist footfall in the location thereby generating employment opportunities directly and indirectly, including in ruralareas. It also significantly impacts other manufacturing sectors like processed foods, agricultural products and other local products including handicrafts.

The Government of India announced collateral free institutional credit of Mudra Loans for Homestays in the Budget Announcement for 2025-26 to give financial assistance and encourage setting up of homestays across the country including the Katarniaghat area of Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh. The Ministry of Tourism has also released a Booklet on Mudra Loans for Homestays as a step by step guide for applying for the loan at Jan Samarth portal. Similarly, workshops were also conducted by the Regional Offices on the same. Up to March-2026, a total of 3,507 homestays applied for the MUDRA loan.

Additionally, the Government approved the Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan for improving the socio-economic condition of tribal communities, and development of 1000 homestays is a part of the scheme. The States/UTs can avail assistance of a maximum of Rs. 5 Crore for 5-10 homestays per village in a village cluster of 5-6 villages, subject to eligibility as per the Guidelines issued.

The Ministry of Tourism has put in place the Scheme of “Capacity Building for Service Providers” (CBSP) to provide education, training and certification to the tourism service providers and hospitality sector including homestay owners, to up-grade manpower at every strata of tourism industry in order to capitalize the vast tourism potential of the country to the fullest, and provide professional expertise to the local populace as well as create fresh opportunities in the tourism sector both in urban as well as rural areas.

Through its Incredible India website, the Ministry of Tourism enhances the digital outreach of the varied tourism offerings such as homestays across the country, transforming it into a one-stop digital information and service platform that serves all hospitality, travel & tourism related needs of a tourist.

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