Scheme of Financial Assistance to IHMs/FCIs/IITTM/ICI/NCHMCT/PSUs

What is this scheme?

The Scheme of Financial Assistance to IHMs/FCIs/IITTM/ICI/NCHMCT/PSUs is a grant-in-aid programme of the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. It channels central funds to the country's hospitality and tourism training institutions so they can build campuses, equip classrooms and kitchens, and expand the number of trained professionals the tourism industry needs.

The institutions named in the scheme are the backbone of hospitality and tourism education in India:

• IHMs, Institutes of Hotel Management, which run hotel-management and catering programmes.
• FCIs, Food Craft Institutes, which run shorter craft and skill courses.
• IITTM, Indian Institute of Tourism and Travel Management.
• ICI, Indian Culinary Institute.
• NCHMCT, National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology, the apex body that affiliates IHMs and conducts national admissions.
• PSUs — Ministry of Tourism public-sector undertakings in this space.

The scheme's purpose is institutional capacity building. It is not a scholarship, stipend or cash transfer to individuals.

Who is eligible for this scheme?

Institutions that can apply:

• Institutes of Hotel Management (IHMs) and Food Craft Institutes (FCIs), central and state, within the recognised system.
• IITTM, ICI and NCHMCT, and Ministry of Tourism PSUs.

Assistance is given to these bodies for approved development: construction and upgrading of buildings, hostels and training facilities, equipment procurement, and expansion of training capacity, as sanctioned by the Ministry of Tourism.

Who cannot apply:

• Individual students, teachers or job-seekers cannot apply for a personal benefit under this scheme. It has no individual application route and pays no cash to individuals.
• Private organisations outside the recognised IHM/FCI/NCHMCT framework are not eligible for grant-in-aid under this scheme.

This is the single most common point of confusion: a person searching for "hotel management scheme" is almost always looking for admission to a course, not for this institutional grant. The right route for an individual is to apply for admission to an IHM or FCI programme (for hotel-management degree courses, through NCHMCT's national entrance process), not to this financial-assistance scheme.

What does the grant support?

According to the Ministry of Tourism, the grant-in-aid supports the development of tourism and hospitality training infrastructure, which typically includes:

• Construction and upgrading of institute buildings, hostels, kitchens, laboratories and training facilities.
• Procurement of equipment for kitchens, housekeeping, front-office and other training areas.
• Capacity augmentation; enabling institutes to train more students and add or strengthen programmes.

The exact quantum for any project depends on the sanction issued by the Ministry against the institute's proposal and the scheme's budget for the year. There is no fixed per-institute figure and no cash entitlement.

What documents are required?

How to apply for assistance under this scheme

Because there is no individual benefit, the "application" is an institutional process:

1. The eligible institute (IHM, FCI, IITTM, ICI, NCHMCT or a Ministry of Tourism PSU) prepares a proposal or detailed project report for the development activity it needs funded.
2. The institute submits the proposal to the Ministry of Tourism, with registration papers, costing, land/building details and required approvals.
3. The Ministry appraises and sanctions grant-in-aid as per the scheme guidelines and the year's budget, and releases funds against approved milestones and utilisation certificates.

An individual who wants to work or study in this field should instead:

1. Choose an IHM or FCI programme suited to their goal.
2. Apply for admission through the institute's process, for hotel-management degree courses this is normally the NCHMCT national entrance examination.
3. Complete the course; the assisted institute's improved facilities are the indirect benefit of this scheme.

Where to get help

• Ministry of Tourism: tourism.gov.in
• NCHMCT (apex body for IHMs and admissions): nchm.gov.in
• Incredible India tourist helpline: 1800-11-1363 (general tourism queries)

For anything relating to this scheme, the correct contact is the Ministry of Tourism or the relevant apex institution (such as NCHMCT), because the scheme operates between the Ministry and its institutions, not between the Ministry and individual citizens.