Beijing budgets reward funds for air pollution treatment

China's Ministry of Finance announced on Monday that the central government has budgeted 5 billion yuan (US$814 million) for rewarding air pollution treatment efforts in several regions.

These regions include the municipalities of Beijing and Tianjin, the provinces of Hebei, Shanxi and Shandong, as well as the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, according to a ministry statement.

Allocation of funds to the provincial-level regions will be made after the end of the year and will differ based on each region's pollution reduction target, investment in pollution treatment, and rate of PM 2.5 decline, the statement said.

PM 2.5 refers to airborne particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter, which are blamed for frequent smoggy weather in Beijing and neighboring regions.