150 billion yuan

The Ministry of Railways will have to pay 150 billion yuan ($24.1 billion) for its 1.5 million railway employees' annual wages in 2015 according to its wage raise plan during the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-15), a source close to the ministry said. The goal could be difficult to reach for the indebted ministry, the source said.

(China Daily 01/17/2013 page2)