A quarter of the nation's 4 trillion yuan (US$586 billion) economic stimulus package is going toward reconstruction in quake-devastated Sichuan province, the government said Thursday in an outline of how the program is being implemented.

The report by the National Development and Reform Commission was the first detailed outline of how the government intends to spend the stimulus funds and what it has done.

Spending related to rebuilding from the May 12 quake totals 1 trillion yuan, the report said.

Another 1.5 trillion yuan, or 37.5 percent of the package, is earmarked for construction of roads, railways, airports, irrigation and other basic infrastructure across the country.

Among the details:

By the end of April, construction on 214,000 units of new or improved housing was completed, with construction started on another 650,000 units - part of a 400 billion yuan housing program.

As part of a 370 billion yuan program for improvements in villages, 14.6 million people got access to safe drinking water and 20,000 km of new roads were laid.

Some 6,500 basic public health services projects were completed, part of a 150 billion yuan program to improve public health and education.

The central government is providing 29.5 percent of the funding for the overall stimulus program, with the remainder coming from local governments and other sources.

(China Daily May 22, 2009)