MP: Tourism is strengthening the village economy, currently there are 116 homestays, more will increase in the future | News India

Bhopal, 29 August (HS). With the increase in tourism in rural areas of Madhya Pradesh, the economy of the village is getting strengthened. There are 116 home-stays in the state so far. Their number will be increased. Tourists from abroad and cities have started coming to understand the rural culture and environment and their number is increasing. Such villages are being identified which have great potential for tourism. The state's Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Prahlad Patel has requested all the panchayats to identify the villages with tourism potential and send proposals to make them tourist villages. He said that promoting rural tourism will strengthen the economy of the village.

Public Relations Officer Avnish Somkuvar informed on Thursday that Sawarwani village of 300 houses, 6 km inside Jhirpa in Tamia development block of Chhindwara, has become a tourist village since 2019. So far, more than 300 foreign tourists have come here and understood the culture of the village, food and drink. They also participated in the activities of farming and animal husbandry. These tourists mainly include tourists from South Africa, France, Europe, Russia, Canada and United Kingdom.

He told that Sawarwani has all the facilities which are essential for an ideal village. Special attention is being paid to cleanliness. The peace and natural surroundings of the villages especially attract tourists. Tourists stay here in the peaceful environment and enjoy the natural beauty by visiting the small natural tourist places nearby such as Anhoni Garam Kund, Anhoni Mela, Saptdhara, Khara Pani Daivik Kund located near Chanwalpani, Ghoghara Waterfall, Tamia, Patalkot, Jhingariya Waterfall along with Mounibaba's hill. Bargodi village of the buffer zone of Satpura National Park is adjacent to here.

There is a complete package of breakfast, lunch and dinner for the tourists. Apart from this, bullock cart ride, milking of cows, feeding them fodder, doing small farm work and trekking facility in the nearby Monakhedi hill, Bhajan Mandali and tribal Karma dance group are also available, due to which the stay in Sawarwani becomes memorable and the memory remains for a long time.

This homestay – Vedika Hills is managed by the tourism development committee of the village. The chairman of this committee is Kamleshwar Yadavvanshi. The vice-president is Ram Prasad Salam and the secretary is Durgesh. The 15 other members of the committee include Ramesh Parteti, Naresh Nagvanshi, Manoj Bhorvanshi. Each member has the responsibility of conducting different tourism activities. There is a fixed fee for each activity. For example, the fee is Rs 1000 for tribal Shaila dance and Rs 500 for the performance of Bhajan Mandali, Rs 500 for the guide, Rs 300 for cooking local food.

Committee's vice-president Ramprasad said that Shahwan and Puratala villages are nearby at a distance of three to four kilometres. The interest of the people here is also increasing and now 6 such home-stays have been built.

Durgesh, the secretary of the committee, says that the economy of the village has improved due to the arrival of tourists. This year, tourists bought 350 kg of naturally grown wheat. Tourists also take milk, curd and vegetables from here. Ghee makers have benefited the most. Earlier, after making ghee, they had to wait for the Sunday market to sell it. Now tourists buy it from their homes. At present, Desi Ghee is Rs. 800 per kg and it is easily sold at this price. Apart from this, rice grown here, especially Basmati rice, is also sold very quickly. Rotis, parathas and bhajiyas made of corn, jowar and millet and other dishes are quite popular. Tomato chutney and corn roti are especially popular. Local vegetables are also in demand.

Scenic Bhartipur

The fame of the homestay of Bharatipur village of Shahpur Gram Panchayat, 35 km from Diwanganj in Raisen, is now gradually increasing. It was started only two years ago. The biggest feature of this homestay is that the forest around it is captivating. Sonali Buddhist Stupa is just two kilometers away from here. This place also has a waterfall which flows continuously throughout the year. This presents a unique view in the background of the dense forest. Here tourists can eat their favorite local food, especially dal-bati. Tourists can experience spiritual pleasure with a deep sense of history in a peaceful environment.