Government spending on relief and reconstruction has gone above 66.75 billion yuan.

Huang said local government is racing against the clock to secure and consolidate school dormitories. Makeshift school houses are being set up. Arrangements are being made for pupils who were displaced by the quake to attend classes elsewhere. The school term normally begins September 1st.

Huang also said that while the provincial economy experienced successive decreases in May and June, the general production capacity of Sichuan province remains stable. July figures already show the first glimmerings of an economic recovery.

Huang said that the primary objective is to adopt a scientific perspective. He said basic restoration should be complete in three years. Development and re-invigoration should take five years with the economy set to thrive again in a decade.

The May 12 earthquake in Sichuan and neighboring regions left more than 69-thousand people dead, according to figures released at noon Monday. The number listed as missing has gone down to 17,923. The toll of the injured remains unchanged at 374,643.

Government spending on relief and reconstruction has gone above 66.75 billion yuan -- or about 9.67 billion U.S. dollars.

According to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, domestic and foreign donations have reached 59.27 billion yuan. The total reflects donations in cash and goods. 23.82 billion yuan had been forwarded to quake-hit areas.

(CCTV August 20, 2008)