国内英语新闻:China sets guidelines for rebuilding mudslide-hit Zhouqu

BEIJING, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) - China's State Council, or the Cabinet, unveiled a set of guidelines Wednesday, aiming at helping reconstruction work in landslide-hit Zhouqu County in Gansu Province.

The guidelines affect taxation, finance, education and employment policies in the region which was devastated by the massive mudslide on Aug. 8.

The document clarified that funds for the reconstruction would come primarily from central government subsidies.

It said that priority would be given to rebuild damaged residential houses, public services, infrastructure and prevent the spreading of diseases.

It specified tax reduction measures for enterprises and individuals who had organized and collected donations, and encouraged banks and financial institutions to increase loans to the mudslide-hit areas.

Land required for housing, infrastructure and reconstructing public facilities will be allocated by the local government, according to the document.

Local governments or universities have also been directed to financially assist Zhouqu-born college students, while high-school students in the landslide-affected areas have been exempted from paying tuition fees, the document said.

A massive mudslide triggered by rainstorms slammed Zhouqu county in northwest China's Gansu Province on Aug. 8, leaving 1,472 dead, 294 missing and more than 15,000 people homeless.