The Government has entered into a soft loan agreement with the Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund, Japan in December 1988 for the development of infrastructure along the identified Buddhist travel circuits in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The financial assistance is to the tune of 7.7 billion Japanese yen. The project period is upto January, 1999. The places covered in UP are Sarnath, Kushinagar, Piprahwa and Sravasti and the places covered in Bihar are Bodhgaya, Nalanda, Rajgir and Vaishali. The major components of the project are strengthening of national and state highways, landscaping augmentation of water and electricity supply and setting up of wayside amenities ... The Task forces constituted by the Ministry of Tourism in 1986 and 1988 have identified 63 places in the country for the development of Buddhist Tourism with the efforts of the Central and State Govts.