$19b more for quake-hit Sichuan

After the premier announced the government's plan to pump in more money for post-quake reconstruction projects, Sichuan's deputies to the current NPC session said they were confident all rural houses destroyed in the quake will be reconstructed soon.

"At the end of last year, more than 560,000 rural houses were rebuilt. We will finish reconstructing the remaining houses by September," said Governor Jiang Jufeng.

More than 1 million houses in the southwest China province were destroyed in the magnitude-8 earthquake that left more than 5 million people homeless.

The province will offer subsidies, loans and technical guidance to the farmers, and ensure the supply of quality construction material, the governor said.

Also, on the provincial government's agenda for this year is the reconstruction of 2,811 schools and 1,167 hospitals, before the end of this year, said Liu Jie, chief of the provincial development and reform commission.