|
CHINA> National
![]() |
|
Lotteries help boost public welfare funds
(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-11-28 07:50 More than 100 billion yuan ($14.6 billion) has been added to funds for public welfare through the issuing of lotteries in the past 21 years, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said on Thursday.
"As of this October, a total of 109.6 billion yuan has been collected for the public welfare fund," ministry spokesman Yu Jianliang said at a press briefing. "Between 2002 and 2007, 73.8 billion yuan was collected for public welfare," he said. Under a theme of "helping the elderly, the disabled, the poor and saving orphans", China issued its first lottery in July 1987. The money collected through the lotteries has mainly been used for public welfare and charity, Yu said. Since May 2004, the ministry invested 800 million yuan to treat about 40,000 visually impaired orphans, he said. The authorities will continue using the funds collected from lotteries to help improve welfare nationwide. "The ministry will invest 1 billion yuan from the funds to improve children's welfare centers under a 'blue sky plan', from 2006 to 2010," he said. Under the plan, most medium-sized and large cities will have children's welfare centers, with about 57,000 new beds for orphans, Yu said. From 2006 to 2010, the ministry will also help establish a system to help the country's homeless youths, he said. The budget for the projects will total 1.12 billion yuan, of which the ministry will contribute 200 million from the lottery funds. "By 2010 more than 90 percent of medium and large cities, as well as major townships, will have facilities to help homeless youths," Yu said. China Daily |
清新县| 南漳县| 万山特区| 宣化县| 正定县| 乌兰县| 资中县| 梁山县| 塘沽区| 荃湾区| 新竹市| 广宁县| 宜阳县| 临朐县| 龙游县| 三原县| 青阳县| 琼中| 徐闻县| 庄河市| 沐川县| 喀喇沁旗| 吐鲁番市| 安仁县| 北辰区| 菏泽市| 西盟| 临清市| 永靖县| 辽阳县| 苍溪县| 彰化市| 宁阳县| 白玉县| 津南区| 永定县| 宁远县| 镇康县| 盐山县| 金山区| 横峰县|