$19b more for quake-hit Sichuan

Source: China Daily | 03-06-2009 11:03

The central government will spend an additional 130 billion yuan (US$19 billion) to reconstruct quake-ravaged areas in Sichuan province, Premier Wen Jiabao said yesterday.

"The restoration and reconstruction of rural houses in the quake zone will be accelerated to ensure that all affected people move into their new houses by the end of this year," Wen said in his government report at the opening ceremony of the second session of the 11th National People's Congress.

He added that the government will speed up the reconstruction of schools, too. "More than 95 percent of the students will be studying in permanent school buildings by the end of this year," he said.

After last year's May 12 earthquake, which killed nearly 70,000 people in Wenchuan county, Sichuan province, the central government allocated 70 billion yuan to set up the post-quake restoration and reconstruction fund.

The investment went in reconstructing rural houses, schools, hospitals, government offices, institutions, roads, water reservoirs etc, said Xie Xuren, the minister of finance.