Published on ShanghaiDaily.com (http://www.shanghaidaily.com/)
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2008/200806/20080619/article_363777.htm
Bridegroom Wang Guanqiang and his bride Zhou Yueyan yesterday walk to their wedding ceremony in a temporary residential area for earthquake victims in Qingping Town of Mianzhu City, in the earthquake-hit Sichuan Province. The couple sent out invitations for their wedding to relatives and friends on May 12,
when the 8.0-magnitude quake struck the province. They are two of the lucky ones.
Bridegroom Wang Guanqiang and his bride Zhou Yueyan yesterday walk to their wedding ceremony in a temporary residential area for earthquake victims in Qingping Town of Mianzhu City, in the earthquake-hit Sichuan Province. The couple sent out invitations for their wedding to relatives and friends on May 12,
Cashed-up areas enlisted for quake aid
Created: 2008-6-19 1:27:00
CHINA'S Cabinet has issued guidelines for its one-on-one support scheme for the 19 provinces and cities designated to aid the 20 hardest-hit regions in last month's 8.0-magnitude earthquake.
Shanghai has been assigned to help Dujiangyan City, which suffered devastation in the quake-hit Sichuan Province.
Guangdong, the most affluent province in terms of gross domestic product, was assigned the two worst-hit regions: the epicenter of Wenchuan County and the affected areas in Gansu Province.
The other provinces and municipalities include Beijing, Shandong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Most of them are located in the prosperous central and eastern regions.
These provinces and municipalities are required to help accomplish reconstruction within three years, said the State Council in a notice posted yesterday on the central government Web portal (www.gov.cn).
Each province and city should annually offer aid worth at least 1 percent of its year-earlier fiscal revenue.
Shanghai yesterday handed over seven police vehicles and other equipment to the public security department in Dujiangyan.
The Shanghai Public Security Bureau plans to build 4,820-square-meter temporary office buildings for its counterpart in the quake-hit city and provide communication systems with a combined value of more than 10 million yuan (US$1.45 million).
Among their tasks, top priority should be given to the construction of housing, schools, hospitals and infrastructure such as roads, water and gas systems, said the Cabinet.
The provinces and cities should help local governments make reconstruction plans and send experts and engineers to guide the work. They should also provide machinery, equipment and building materials and help with training, employment, education and farming.
The reconstruction should start as soon as possible, follow scientific principles and be carried out methodically, the Cabinet said.
The quake that hit Sichuan on May 12 had killed 69,176 people as of noon yesterday and left 374,008 injured and 17,415 others missing. Preliminary estimates by the Industrial and Information Ministry showed the quake had caused losses of more than 200 billion yuan to industrial enterprises in China.
Meanwhile, Chinese authorities have sent nearly 10,000 auditors to track relief funds and supplies for Sichuan to head off corruption.
Xinhua/Shanghai Daily
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