URUMQI, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has invested more than 40.5 billion yuan (about 5.7 billion U.S. dollars) into poverty alleviation projects this year, local authorities said.

The funds have been injected into 5,286 projects covering multiple areas, including industrial development and employment, said the regional poverty alleviation and development office.

Xinjiang also increased financial support to poverty-stricken households. It has extended loans to 117,800 impoverished households this year, totaling over 3.74 billion yuan.