Ludhiana: The Punjab authorities has launched the Farm Keep Coverage-2026, introducing a brand new rural tourism mannequin aimed toward rising farmers’ earnings and strengthening the village financial system. Impressed by Himachal Pradesh’s profitable homestay idea, the coverage will permit farmers to transform a part of their agricultural land into farm stays for vacationers.
Below the brand new coverage, vacationers visiting Punjab will have the ability to expertise village life, native meals, conventional tradition and agricultural actions whereas staying on farms. The federal government believes the initiative will create new employment alternatives for girls and youth whereas giving farmers a further supply of earnings past conventional farming.
In accordance with the coverage, farmers considering establishing a farm keep should personal at the least one acre of land. Building will solely be permitted on 10 % of the land, whereas the remaining 90 % should stay open and agricultural in nature.
The federal government has additionally mounted clear limits on development and lodging. A farm keep should have a minimal of two rooms and may have a most of 9 rooms. Buildings can’t exceed two flooring or a peak of 9 metres. No more than 18 friends will likely be allowed to remain at a time, and the proprietor or a member of the family should reside on the property.
Current farm keep operators may even must register underneath the brand new coverage inside 180 days. Failure to take action will lead to cancellation of earlier registrations.
Punjab Tourism Division Secretary Kumar Amit mentioned the registration course of has been stored easy and absolutely on-line via the FastTrack Punjab portal. Registrations will initially be granted for 5 years and later renewed in blocks of three years. Candidates with full paperwork will obtain certificates inside 21 days.
The coverage additionally gives a number of relaxations to encourage participation. Farmers is not going to require separate NOCs or Change of Land Use (CLU) approvals for establishing farm stays. Electrical energy will likely be supplied at home charges, and present borewells or water sources can be utilized for friends. Authorities may even keep away from shock inspections except a grievance is acquired.
To enhance hospitality requirements, the federal government will present coaching via resort administration institutes. Farm keep house owners and at the least three staff will obtain skilled hospitality coaching. Particular help may even be supplied to farmers engaged in natural farming.
The Punjab authorities has additional promised to advertise farm stays via influencers, journey web sites, the Punjab tourism portal and even movies and net sequence to draw home and worldwide vacationers.
On the similar time, the federal government has made environmental compliance obligatory. Farm keep operators is not going to be allowed to discharge wastewater into open areas or canals. They need to set up septic tanks or bio-digesters and observe waste segregation practices. Incentives may even be provided for putting in photo voltaic panels and biogas methods.
To encourage funding, the federal government will present a ten % subsidy on farm keep initiatives, with a most restrict of ₹5 crore. As well as, 75 % of SGST will likely be reimbursed underneath the coverage.
The coverage additionally contains safety provisions. If a international visitor stays at a farm keep, the operator should submit Type C inside 24 hours to native authorities.
Registration Course of
Fill out the applying kind on the FastTrack Punjab portal
Add Aadhaar, land information, pictures and web site map
Officers will confirm paperwork and examine the positioning
Candidates will get 15 days to repair deficiencies, if any
Certificates will likely be issued inside 5 days after remaining approval
Nevertheless, the coverage has additionally drawn criticism. Public Motion Committee member Kuldeep Khaira warned that farm stays may ultimately flip into massive non-public resorts, luxurious tourism hubs and social gathering venues, which can hurt Punjab’s rural tradition and surroundings.
