A charity drive initiated by President Hu Jintao is gaining momentum, as more and more people donate money and materials to the poor and needy.

The donated cash and clothing will be handed to disaster victims and poor urban and rural residents nationwide before New Year's Day and the Lunar Chinese New Year, which falls on January 29, 2006.

Liang Zhijian, a Division Chief at the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, donated money to the charity drive. He told China Daily: "The donation reminds me of the help poverty-stricken people need. It will help them tide over the winter." Liang added that "every time a donation drive of this sort is launched, I will gladly join in."

The People's Daily newspaper reported yesterday that staff at the National People Congress, the supreme legislature; the State Council, the central government and its subordinate institutions; the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the top political advisory body, have all joined in the drive, first launched by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and its affiliated institutions.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs has said that most regions on the Chinese mainland were hit by natural disasters such as flooding, drought, typhoons, wind and hailstorms this year, which left 1,855 people dead and 458 missing, forcing relocation of 15 million others. The ministry launched 29 emergency disaster-relief operations in 18 provinces this year, with many of the disasters involving flooding.

The ministry estimated 72.5 million people need food aid, 21.52 million need clothes while 5 million need medical aid during the winter.

Source: China Daily