The central government plans to allot a total of 600 million yuan (US$72,55 million) for the handicapped from 2003 to 2005, a national meeting of the China Disabled Persons' Federation (CDPF) said  Monday.

The money will be used for the rehabilitation, education, poverty alleviation, employment, and cultural life of the handicapped, and for the preparation for the 2008 Paralympic Games, to be held in Beijing, said Tang Xiaoquan, vice-president of the CDPF and director of the organization's Executive Board.

In addition, China will specifically allocate 100 million yuan (US$12,09) each year for the 2008 Paralympic Games during the period from 2006 to 2008, Tang said.

The Chinese government has invested some 100 million yuan in supporting disabled persons in the past year, according to Tang, and the construction of infrastructures for the disabled has progressed smoothly throughout the country.

The Shanghai Sports and Arts Center for the Handicapped has been completed, and the National Paralympic Center, which has just finished its site selection and project appraisal, is now inviting public bidding for designing, Tang said.

There are about 60 million persons with disabilities in China, according to the official website of the CDPF.

(Xinhua News Agency January 13, 2004)