Distribution of quake relief materials orderly
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The current distribution of quake relief materials was going well after initial difficulties, said an official with the Ministry of Civil Affairs Thursday.
Ministry spokesman, Pang Chenmin, made the remarks when asked to comment on the distribution of relief materials in the quake zone at a press conference.
Pang admitted difficulties in providing relief goods in the initial stages due to short supply of materials in quake-hit Yushu and poor road access to the region.
However, the delivery of quake-relief materials was soon brought to order thanks to government efforts to allocate and transport quake-relief materials nationwide to the quake zone.
Pang said the registration and distribution of relief materials was well organized and managed. And homeless survivors had been properly resettled in tents and there was "no problem" in supplying them with basic food.
Each homeless survivor without an income was given a daily allowance of 10 yuan (1.5 U.S. dollars) and 500 grams of grain from May to July, he said, adding the government would implement more policies to help the survivors before July.
Concerning quake donations, Pang said they would be channeled to the quake zone by the Ministry of Civil Affairs and 15 other foundations, such as Red Cross Society of China, China Charity Federation, organized by the ministry according to the reconstruction plan.
"Some donations have specific uses stipulated by the donators, and the rest will all go to post-quake reconstruction work, including the reconstruction of residential housing, and public infrastructures," said Pang.
Pang said many Tibetan Buddhists had helped in the rescue and relief work in the quake zone, representing the spirit of ethnic unity between the Han and Tibetan nationalities.
The spokesman said the ministry was working on plans for permanent resettlement of the quake survivors in Qinghai. "The government strives to build as many permanent houses as possible before winter comes," he said.
The resettlement plan will take into account local Tibetan's cultural and religious customs, he added.
According to the spokesman, the Civil Affairs Ministry will finish a disaster evaluation on the Yushu earthquake based on data collected by China's remote sensing satellites by the end of April.
The evaluation will contribute to the reconstruction and resettlement work in the quake zone.
Hu Qing, deputy director with the Information Bureau of State Council's Information Office who presided over the press conference, said the Chinese government had provided an open and transparent environment for domestic and foreign journalists to report on the Yushu earthquake.
He said the Information Office would continue to help local government communicate with journalists in the quake-hit area.
So far the Chinese government has established press centers in Yushu and Xining, capital of Qinghai Province, to improve quake news coverage. The State Council's Information Office has conducted nine press conferences in Beijing regarding quake relief work.
The 7.1-magnitude earthquake on April 14 in Yushu, Qinghai Province, had left 2,183 dead by Wednesday afternoon with 84 people reported missing and 12,135 injured.
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