A $50 million Disaster Relief Fund grant has been approved for the Gansu provincial government to provide emergency relief to its mudslide victims.

Approval was given today after the Legislative Council's Finance Committee approved a supplementary provision of $50 million to replenish the fund.

The grant is further to a disbursement of $2.44 million made earlier for the Amity Foundation to undertake a relief project in Gansu. It takes the total value of grants for mudslide victims in the province to $52.44 million.

Chief Secretary Henry Tang, the fund advisory committee chairman, said the grant will be delivered as soon as possible. The committee has also formed a fast-track mechanism to respond quickly to applications for emergency relief in Gansu.