₹5 lakh each to transform tribal houses into homestays

Sub: Schemes

Sec: Vulnerable

Context:

The Union Cabinet approved a package that will provide up to ₹5 lakh each to tribal households and villages across the country, to turn their homes into tourist homestays or to build new ones under the Tourism Ministry’s Swadesh Darshan scheme.

About the initiative:

It is meant to tap the tourist potential of tribal areas and to provide alternative livelihood.
This is one of the 25 interventions planned under the Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan (PMJUGA).

Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan (PMJUGA):

PMJUGA is an umbrella package to implement existing schemes in 63,000 Scheduled Tribe-majority villages.
For example, the Swadesh Darshan scheme was launched a decade ago, in 2014-15, though the tribal homestay proposal is a new element.
The PMJUGA package is aimed at ensuring the saturation of basic schemes in tribal villages, through 25 interventions to be implemented by 17 Ministries.
The funding comes from each Ministry’s allocated share in the Development Action Plan for Scheduled Tribes.
It focuses on the holistic development of tribal villages by improving infrastructure, livelihood, education, health, and ensuring sustainable development.

Initiatives under PMJUGA:

Impart knowledge of sustainable agricultural practices to all Forest Rights Act (FRA) pattaholders.
Impetus to existing development schemes to build 20 lakh pucca homes for ST families.
Broadband connectivity to 5,000 tribal villages under the BharatNet project.
Set up 100 tribal multipurpose marketing centres.
The tourism section of the scheme aims to create five to 10 homestays in each target tribal village, with an overall goal of setting up 1,000 such homestays.