China has increased input into social services in ethnic autonomous areas to raise the level of medical care for the people and promoted the development of radio, film and TV services in those areas, says a white paper issued by the Information Office of the State Council Monday.

According to the white paper entitled Regional Autonomy for Ethnic Minorities in China, in 2003, the central government appropriated special funds totaling 1.37 billion yuan (165 million US dollars) for health services in Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Guangxi, Ningxia and Tibet autonomous regions, which covered such aspects as public health, basic rural health facilities, specialized hospitals, rural cooperative medical services and control of serious diseases.

In 1998, the Chinese government launched a project to give every village access to radio and TV broadcasts, providing special-purpose subsidies to key counties for national poverty-alleviation and development in the central and western regions, which greatly promoted the development of radio, film and TV services in ethnic minority areas.

By the end of 2003, with subsidies totaling 450 million yuan (54 million US dollars), over 70 million villagers in 117,345 administrative villages had gained access to radio and TV broadcasts. The project covered 54,365 administrative villages in Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Guangxi, Ningxia and Tibet autonomous regions, as well as Qinghai, Gansu, Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan provinces, where large numbers of ethnic minority people live.

In 2004, the white paper says, the state launched another drive to make villages with more than 50 households where electricity was available to have access to radio and TV. It is estimated that90,000 more villages will have access to radio and TV in the next two years, among which 59,000 are in ethnic minority areas.