Southwest China's Yunnan Province has begun a project to improve living standards in its 4,000 poverty-stricken villages amid the country's move to build a new socialist countryside.

Wang Xueren, deputy secretary of Yunnan's provincial committee of the Communist Party of China, said the provincial government planned to raise more than 100 million yuan (US$12.5 million) annually to support the development of 175 villages inhabited mainly by ethnic minority groups.

"We have set down goals, tasks and concrete policies to help step up the economic and social development of ethnic areas and ethnic groups," said Wang at a seminar on ethnic work.

Officials have been required to pay extra attention to and study ethnic work, and even "deal with ethnic issues in person", said Wang.

Special support measures for ethnic groups, including a special fund, were included in aspects like infrastructure construction, financing aid, poverty alleviation and education, said Wang.

(Xinhua News Agency May 4, 2006)