Union Cabinet Approves ₹5 Lakh Package for Tribal Homestays

• The Union Cabinet has approved a package of up to ₹5 lakh to tribal households and villages across India.
• The package aims to transform tribal dwellings into tourist homestays or build new ones under the Tourism Ministry’s Swadesh Darshan scheme.
• The initiative is part of 25 interventions planned under the Pradhan Mantri-Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan (PMJUGA), an umbrella package to implement existing schemes in 63,000 Scheduled Tribe-majority villages.
• The PMJUGA package will involve an outlay of ₹79,156 crore, to be spent over five years, with a Central share of ₹56,333 crore, and a States’ share of ₹22,823 crore.
• The PMJUGA also intends to bring sustainable agricultural practices to all Forest Rights Act (FRA) patta holders.
• The package also aims to build 20 lakh pucca homes for ST families, lay 25,000 km of roads, bring piped water to every eligible village, electrify around 2.35 lakh households and unconnected public institutions, provide 25 lakh LPG connections, bring discrimination-free broadband connectivity to 5,000 tribal villages, and set up 100 tribal multi-purpose marketing centres.