BEIJING — China's central government has dispensed part of the 2020 funds for poverty alleviation to local governments, the Ministry of Finance said on Nov 18.

The 2020 poverty relief fund already allocated to 28 provincial-level regions totaled 113.6 billion yuan (about $16.2 billion), accounting for 90 percent of that recorded in 2019, according to the ministry.

Some 14.4 billion yuan of the money will be channeled to support areas in deep poverty, including Tibet, Xinjiang, and parts of Sichuan, Yunnan and Gansu provinces.

The ministry said the power to review and approve the use of the poverty alleviation fund should be delegated to county-level governments and the fund should not be used for any projects or tasks unrelated to poverty reduction.

China aims to eradicate absolute poverty by 2020. As the deadline approaches, the country is focusing on the nation's poorest people, who mainly dwell in deep mountains with adverse natural environments and backward infrastructure, or have special needs.