BEIJING - China was striving to improve management of funds earmarked for poverty relief projects in rural areas, said a senior official of the Ministry of Finance on Tuesday.

There will be regular information disclosure about the projects and officials found guilty of embezzling or misusing the funds would be severely punished, said Assistant Finance Minister Hu Jinglin.

Considering the central government's huge investment in poverty reduction, the country was also considering establishing a comprehensive evaluation mechanism to determine whether local governments have used the poverty alleviation funds in an effective and efficient way, Hu said.