The government of Tibet Autonomous Region will spend 1.6 billion yuan (about US$200 million) this year on the development of rural areas.

Ding Ye, director of the regional financial bureau, on Thursday told Xinhua that 621 million yuan (about US$77 million) would be spent on improving the housing of 52,000 families.

The bureau also plans to spend 205 million yuan (about US$25.6 million) on poverty relief work in the townships. The remaining funds will be injected into developing infrastructure and grain subsidies.

(Xinhua News Agency February 2, 2007)