Jammu: Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Sunday reviewed the implementation of the Homestay Policy and stressed the need to ensure easier access to institutional credit for promoting homestays across all districts of Jammu and Kashmir.
Chairing a meeting on the issue, Dulloo said the registration process for homestays should be made simpler, more transparent and fully accessible, while ensuring seamless availability of loans for aspiring entrepreneurs.
The meeting was attended by senior officers, including Additional Chief Secretaries of the Power Development and Tourism Departments, Managing Director of Jammu and Kashmir Bank, Commissioner Secretary Law, Managing Director of Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Development Corporation, Directors of Tourism Jammu and Kashmir, and other officials.
Highlighting the role of homestays in sustainable tourism and local employment generation, the Chief Secretary called for policy interventions and deregulation measures to expand the sector. He directed officials to develop a unified digital platform integrating registration, bookings, credit facilitation and related services to improve ease of doing business.
Dulloo also asked the departments concerned to effectively utilise schemes such as Mission YUVA and the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme to facilitate easier financing for homestay operators. He further called for exploring interest subvention mechanisms to make such ventures financially viable in the long run.
Administrative Secretary Tourism Ashish Chandra Verma informed the meeting that the registration process for homestays has been fully digitised and made more user-friendly.
He said several amendments have been introduced in the guidelines to remove bottlenecks and encourage greater participation. These include increasing the permissible number of rooms in a homestay unit from four to six and reconstituting inspection committees to streamline registrations.
Verma further said the Tourism Department has taken up with the Power Development and Jal Shakti Departments the issue of bringing homestays under the domestic tariff category and granting them essential service status, as demanded by stakeholders.
Managing Director of Jammu and Kashmir Bank Amitava Chatterjee informed the meeting that the bank has launched a dedicated loan product for homestay owners.
According to him, the scheme offers loans of up to Rs 30 lakh, with a provision of Rs 5 lakh per room, at an interest rate of 8.2 per cent. He also said the bank is exploring the launch of a “Tourism Credit Card” for tourism stakeholders.
Managing Director of JKTDC Shreya Singhal said that over 2,600 homestays with more than 19,300 rooms have so far been registered across the Union Territory.
She said the corporation is working on an updated homestay policy and is also exploring bringing secondary properties under a structured Bed and Breakfast framework in line with practices followed in other states.
Singhal further informed that a dedicated portal has been created on the official tourism website to facilitate onboarding of homestay owners, along with capacity building and marketing support through digital platforms such as OYO and others.
The Chief Secretary reiterated the government’s commitment to promoting homestays as a cornerstone of community-based tourism in Jammu and Kashmir to generate employment, preserve local culture and improve the visitor experience.
