Kunming - The government of Yunnan will allocate 55.7 billion yuan ($8.46 billion) to accelerate economic and social development in its ethnic minority areas during the period of the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015), a top provincial official has said.

The money will be used on housing for rural and urban residents, the development of clean energy systems in rural areas and to provide living allowances for border residents, Yunnan Governor Qin Guangrong said.

The province spent 13.3 billion yuan on alleviating poverty during the period of the 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-2010), helping a total of 2.65 million people, he added.