One retail outlet featuring food and daily necessities will be arranged for every 1,000 makeshift homes as part of relief for areas stricken by the May 12 earthquake, according to a circular issued on Tuesday by China's ministries of commerce and housing and urban-rural development.

Such an outlet should have a floor space of 50 to 60 square meters, the circular said.

It did not set a deadline for all the retail outlets needed to be established but stressed that by June 10, one to three outlets should be launched for every tent-based temporary resettlement zone.

The Ministry of Commerce also designated the first 15 enterprises to provide assistance for 15 quake-ravaged counties in Sichuan with their efforts to resume retail outlets and ensure a supply of food and daily necessities for those affected.

On Tuesday, the ministry delivered 50 mobile hawking vehicles to Sichuan. Another 450 mobile hawking vehicles will be sent to the quake-hit province in the near future.

An 8.0-magnitude earthquake jolted the southwestern province of Sichuan on May 12, leaving 67,183 dead as of midday Tuesday.

According to the Information Office of the State Council, 361,822 were injured and 20,790 others are missing. More than 45.61 million people were affected and about 15 million have been relocated.

Meanwhile, 566,400 tents had been delivered to quake-affected areas as of Tuesday noon, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said.

(Xinhua News Agency May 27, 2008)