On the basis of completing work listed in the Eighth Five-Year Plan and making good arrangement for the Ninth Five-Year Plan, the Chinese Government in the first half of 1994 decided to organize the Central Government commissions and various provinces and municipalities directly under the Central Government to undertake 62 more projects urgently needed for Tibet's economic development in three to four years. Their great importance lies in improving the region's backward infrastructure, raising the people's living standard and laying a solid foundation for development in the coming century.

Of the 62 aid projects, 13 involve agriculture and water conservancy (24.8 percent of the total investment), 15 energy (27.3 percent of investment), 7 transportation and telecommunications (9.2 percent of investment), 6 industry (7.3 percent of investment), and 21 social undertakings and municipal construction (31.4 of investment). The State is providing 75.7 percent of the total investment with the remainder coming from 29 non-Tibetan provincial-level governments and six cities with economic planning directly supervised by the State Council, each contributing aid to particular projects. The 62 projects are distributed in 74 Tibetan administrative units. All of the 62 aid projects have been finished and are now in operation. Investments in these projects reached 4.16 billion yuan, compared to the planned figure of 2.38 billion yuan.

Completion of these projects raises hydropower generating capacity by 30,000 kw, 166 million kwh of electricity generated annually. An additional telephone exchange capacity of 30,000 channels helps to increase long-distance capacity several times. Capacity to process 35 million kilograms of flour and 3 million kilograms of edible oil are added. Daily urban water supply increases 16,000 tons, 400 hospital beds are added and middle school enrollment increased by 4,900. Television and radio station broadcast range increases to a certain extent and almost every administrative township has a broadcast reception station.