BEIJING, April 24 (Xinhua) -- China has distributed a total of 3.71 billion yuan (about 524 million U.S. dollars) of price subsidies to support people in need so far this year.

About 81.69 million people including those living on subsistence allowances and in extreme difficulty across the country have benefited from the temporary allowance scheme, according to a press conference held Friday by the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

For such people in Hubei, the province hardest hit by COVID-19, both urban and rural residents have received assistance for living materials, with a subsidy standard of no less than 500 yuan for urban residents and 300 yuan for rural residents.