New Delhi. The Central Government provides assistance through various schemes for development and strengthening of market infrastructure. These are as follows:

The Scheme for Development/Strengthening of Agricultural Marketing Infrastructure, Grading and Standardization has been launched with the objective of strengthening of existing agricultural marketing infrastructure, providing of additional agricultural marketing infrastructure and to promote competitive alternative marketing infrastructure etc. Under the scheme, assistance is provided @25% of capital cost of the project subject to ceiling of Rs.50 lakh for each project. Subsidy is provided @33.33% for North East States, States of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, SC/ST entrepreneurs and their cooperatives etc. 

Under the market infrastructure component of National Horticulture Mission, assistance is provided for creation of rural primary market/apni mandi, wholesale market and terminal market complex to link farmers with producers. Under the scheme, assistance is provided @40% of the project cost up to Rs.20 lakh for rural primary markets and @25% of the project cost up to Rs.100 crore for wholesale markets. In addition, subsidy up to 40% is provided for setting up terminal market complex. 

Under Swarnjayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY) under the Ministry of Rural Development, there is a provision for setting up of permanent marketing centres or haats at village, district and state level to promote the sale of products of beneficiaries covered under the programme. Assistance is provided up to Rs.15 lakh for creation of village haats, up to Rs.1.5 crore for a district level haat and up to Rs.3.00 crore for a haat at the state capital. 

This information was given by Prof. K.V. Thomas, Minister of State for Agriculture, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution in written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today.