Punjab State Agricultural Marketing Board has raised a loan of approximately Rs.89 crores from Oriental Bank of Commerce for providing additional infrastructural facilities in various principal yards, sub yards and Purchase Centers. This project will cover 53 Market Committees with development works at 178 different places in the State. The main components of this project are provision of pucca auction platforms, metalled roads,water supply, sewerage system, permanent electrification, drainage and construction of cover sheds on auction platforms in selective mandis. The Board is laying emphasis for provision of cover sheds in all important mandis to guard against inclement weather during the peak procurement time for paddy and wheat in order to minimise the losses to farmers as well as to the Govt. in the procurement operations.. The Board is also contributing seed money in case of those Market Committees, which are economically weak. By raising loan from banks for provision of additional infrastructure, the Board would be able to give facilities in the mandis within a period of two years which in the normal course would have taken eight to ten years, .This massive project would be completed by the end of June,2000.