Mumbai, Dec. 16 -- Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, India's Union minister for tourism and culture, on 15 December informed the Lok Sabha, through written replies, of the government's initiatives to promote homestays, especially in tribal areas.

Mint explains what these policies are and why the government is keen on homestays.

The minister filed two written replies in the Lok Sabha on 15 December. In the first, he laid out policies to promote homestays that the government has recommended for states and Union territories. These come from Niti Aayog report, released earlier this year, called 'Rethinking Homestays'.

In the second reply, he said the ministry had received 17 proposals from states and Union territories to develop homestays in triba...