More than 100 billion yuan (US$14.6 billion) has been added to funds for public welfare through the issuing of lotteries in the past 21 years, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said on Thursday.

"As of this October, a total of 109.6 billion yuan has been collected for the public welfare fund," ministry spokesman Yu Jianliang said at a press briefing.

"Between 2002 and 2007, 73.8 billion yuan was collected for public welfare," he said.

Under a theme of "helping the elderly, the disabled, the poor and saving orphans", China issued its first lottery in July 1987.

The money collected through the lotteries has mainly been used for public welfare and charity, Yu said.

Since May 2004, the ministry invested 800 million yuan to treat about 40,000 visually impaired orphans, he said.

The authorities will continue using the funds collected from lotteries to help improve welfare nationwide.

"The ministry will invest 1 billion yuan from the funds to improve children's welfare centers under a 'blue sky plan', from 2006 to 2010," he said.

Under the plan, most medium-sized and large cities will have children's welfare centers, with about 57,000 new beds for orphans, Yu said.

From 2006 to 2010, the ministry will also help establish a system to help the country's homeless youths, he said.

The budget for the projects will total 1.12 billion yuan, of which the ministry will contribute 200 million from the lottery funds.

"By 2010 more than 90 percent of medium and large cities, as well as major townships, will have facilities to help homeless youths," Yu said.

(China Daily November 28, 2008)