BEIJING - China has invested 7.3 billion yuan ($1.03 billion) this year to support programs that provide work for people in need as a form of relief, the National Development and Reform Commission said Monday.

The investment, which was jointly issued with the Ministry of Finance, accounted for more than 90 percent of the planned investment scale of 2023. It will be used to support more than 2,000 small and medium-sized rural infrastructure projects in more than 20 provincial-level regions in central and western China.

The work-relief programs are aimed at people in need, especially rural residents who have been lifted out of poverty, vulnerable individuals prone to return to poverty, and migrant workers returning to their hometowns. The programs are designed to help them find work at home, the commission said.

After the project is implemented, it is estimated that more than 2 billion yuan of labor remuneration will be paid, driving more than 200,000 people in need to participate in construction projects, and raise their average income by about 10,000 yuan.

The commission will issue the remaining investment plans of the work-relief programs for this year as soon as possible, urge and guide the relevant provincial-level regions to accelerate the construction of the projects and ensure labor payment.