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Billions earmarked for rural reform program
(AP)
Updated: 2006-03-08 14:19 China plans to spend billions
of extra dollars this year to raise incomes and education standards in poor
rural areas to build a "new socialist countryside."
Officials on Wednesday were preparing to unveil details of the new program at
a news conference by Vice Minister of Agriculture Yin Chengjie and other
officials.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabo announced Sunday in an address
to the annual session of the country's National People's Congress that Beijing
will budget an extra 42.2 billion yuan (US$5.2 billion) to raise spending
on rural areas by 15 percent this year to 339.7 billion yuan (US$41.9
billion).
Wen called the program "a major historic task for China."
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