Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality launched an assistance program Tuesday, helping improve the life of migrants from the Three Gorges area.

Liu Fuyin, director of the municipal immigration bureau, said that Chongqing would endeavor to boost crop planting, forestry, animal husbandry, fishery and tourism in areas where migrants have settled down, and would speed up infrastructure construction.

The municipal government would also open courses for migrants, especially the youngsters, so that they could master some practical techniques, said Liu.

More work opportunities would be created for the migrants and special subsidies would be allocated by the local government to ensure the higher income of migrants than before, the official said.

The migrants made great contributions to the building of Three Gorges Water Control Project by abandoning their homeland, Liu said.

Chongqing had invested 31.1 billion yuan (about 3.8 billion US dollars) till 2003, helping improve the life of over 691,000 migrants, said Liu.

When completed, the Three Gorges project will be the largest power station in the world, with a combined installed generating capacity of 22.4 million kw.
 
(Xinhua News  Agency  April 10, 2004)