



Centre plans to build 500 tribal-run forest homestays in FY27 to promote domestic tourism
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.New Delhi: The government plans to convert remote forest villages into tourist destinations by building 500 tribal-run homestays in the financial year starting April 2026, as India seeks to spread the economic benefits of the travel market, two government officials said.The initiative, part of the Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan scheme under the Swadesh Darshan programme, which has a ₹1,905 crore outlay for 2026-27, will offer tribal households financial assistance of up to ₹5 lakh each for constructing new rooms and up to ₹3 lakh for renovation of existing rooms, the two officials said on the condition of anonymity. Six projects are expected to be sanctioned under the scheme during the fiscal year, the first person mentioned above said.The plan was outlined by the expenditure department to the tourism ministry in a communication reviewed by Mint.The plan targets the 104 million tribal citizens, about 8.6% of the country’s population, concentrated in states like Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Jharkhand, as well as in the Northeast.