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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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