The Ministry of Finance said on March 29 that its spending on poverty relief in rural areas for 2012 surged 31.9 percent from a year earlier to 299.6 billion yuan ($48 billion).

The funds were used to enhance agricultural production, improve people's living standards and support education, health care and social security, the ministry said.

In December 2011, China released a guideline for rural poverty relief and development during the 2011-20 period in an effort to accelerate the development of the impoverished.