XI'AN: As part of a maternity grant project, pregnant women living in the rural areas of northwest China's Shaanxi province will be able to deliver children "free of cost" from next month.

The project, which begins on May 1, will cover the province's 104 counties and districts and include a large rural population, according to the Shaanxi provincial health bureau.

Each pregnant woman will get an average grant of 800 yuan ($117) for childbirth, the bureau said, adding that a total of 224 million yuan had been budgeted for the project this year alone.