Assam Amar Alohi Scheme

About Amar Alohi Scheme

The Assam Amar Alohi Scheme, also known as the Home Stay Scheme, this initiative launched by the Government of Assam to boost tourism in the state and provide employment opportunities to the local community. The primary objective of this scheme is to encourage tourists to experience the rich cultural heritage, traditions, and natural beauty of Assam by staying with local families. The scheme aims to provide a unique and authentic experience to tourists, as well as to generate income for local households. The benefits of this scheme include promoting cultural exchange, generating employment opportunities, and improving the socio-economic conditions of the local community.

Objectives

The Assam Amar Alohi Scheme has the following objectives:

1. To promote tourism in the state and generate employment opportunities for the locals.
2. To provide a unique and authentic experience to tourists by staying with local families.
3. To promote cultural exchange between visitors and locals.
4. To showcase the rich cultural heritage of Assam to the world.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for the Assam Amar Alohi Scheme, the following criteria must be met:

• The applicant must be a resident of Assam.
• The applicant must have a suitable house that can accommodate guests.
• The house must have basic amenities like a clean bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen.
• The applicant must have a good knowledge of the local culture and traditions.
• The applicant should have a minimum educational qualification of minimum 12th standard pass.
• The age of the applicant Should not be less than 26 years and not more than 55 years as on 01.01.2017.

Benefits

The Assam Amar Alohi Scheme offers several benefits to both tourists and locals

1. Tourists get a unique opportunity to experience the local way of life and culture.
2. Locals get a means of livelihood and a chance to showcase their cultural heritage.
3. The scheme promotes tourism and generates employment opportunities for locals.
4. Visitors get a chance to interact with locals and learn about their way of life.
5. The scheme helps in preserving and promote the rich cultural heritage of Assam.

Assam Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC) has launched a scheme to promote homestays in Assam, which offers incentives and financial assistance to existing and newly set-up homestays. Here are the key details of the scheme:

For existing homestays:

• Online registration and recognition as an authorized tourist establishment under Assam Tourism
• Professional advice for improvements of homestays and guest services by experts
• Free training on homestay and hospitality services, basic accounts, attitude building, and marketing
• Free publicity and marketing opportunities through official websites of Assam Tourism
• Listing in the accommodation guide and homestay directory published by Assam Tourism
• Free of charge listing in periodically printed brochures and advertisements
• Free marketing opportunities via national and international information counters, travel fairs, tourist directories, guidebooks, and social media networks
• Eligible homestay units can display the Assam Tourism homestay logo as a registered establishment
• Familiarization trips for homestay operators to famous homestay organizations and tourism entities promoting rural, cultural, and nature tourism
• Encouragement for local communities to adopt organic farming techniques

For newly set-up homestays:

• Financial assistance in the form of a subsidy for the construction of Assam type cottages or stilted Assam type cottages
• Assistance of 80% of the project cost as per Annexure IV for Assam type cottages, and Annexure V for stilted Assam type cottages
• Beneficiaries must arrange the remaining 20% of the project cost from a bank or other sources
• The government or ATDC will not provide any guarantee for the loan components or be liable for any financial liability of the beneficiaries
• Release of financial assistance in three phases, with the time limit for completion of the units being 6 months from the date of release of the 1st installment.

The financial assistance for the newly set-up homestay units will be released in three phases:

(a) The first installment of 20% of the assistance will be released immediately after the selection, approval, and registration of the unit. The beneficiary must produce documentary proof of arrangement of the remaining fund for the project apart from the subsidy/margin money assistance.

(b) The second installment of 50% will be released after spot verification by authorized officials. The officials must be satisfied that the construction of the homestay up to a reasonable extent has been completed with the first installment from the beneficiary’s own contribution of 20% of the project.

(c) The final installment of 30% will be released after completion of the civil works and the homestay unit is ready for commissioning.

The time limit for completion of the homestay units is 6 months from the date of release of the first installment.

Only selected new homestays can avail subsidy from the Tourism Department, Govt. of Assam to build the home of an amount of approximately ₹ 6 lakh (Assam type) and approximately ₹ 8 lakh (stilted Assam type).

The Assam Tourism Development Corporation invites applications from time to time. All types of applied homestays are selected after scrutiny and personal inspection under a Selection Committee of the Tourism Department.

Required Documents

To apply for the Assam Amar Alohi Scheme, the following documents are required:

1. Application form
2. Identity proof (Aadhar Card, Voter ID, or Passport)
3. Address proof
4. House ownership documents
5. Photographs of the house
6. Police verification certificate

How to Apply For the Assam Amar Alohi Scheme

To apply for the Assam Amar Alohi Scheme, follow the below steps:

• Visit the official website of the scheme.

• Download the application form and fill in the required details.

• Attach the necessary documents and photographs.
• Submit the application form at the tourism office.
• Once the application is approved, the applicant will receive a certificate of registration.

To apply for the scheme, interested homestay owners can submit their applications to ATDC, which will scrutinize and personally inspect the homestays under a Selection Committee of Tourism Department. The selected homestays will be eligible for the incentives and financial assistance provided under the scheme.