China has promulgated a regulation on reconstruction following the May 12 Wenchuan earthquake disaster.

It was the first of its kind in the country, specially for a single massive quake, designed to lead the reconstruction work into a legal orbit.

Premier Wen Jiabao on Sunday signed a State Council order to make it effective. Xinhua was authorized to publish the regulation Monday.

The State Council, China's Cabinet, passed a draft of the regulation at an executive meeting last week.

The regulation, which set guidelines for the reconstruction, provided an important legal ground for the rebuilding work of various departments and quake-hit regions, said a spokesman of the Legal Affairs Office of the State Council.

He said the regulation was to ensure sound life, production, study and working conditions in quake-affected regions.

Covering nine chapters and 80 stipulations, it included the transitional settlement of quake-hit people, reconstruction planning, assessment, financing, policies, supervision and management and legal obligations.

It also put forward special requirements on earthquake-resistance levels of infrastructure construction in the quake-hit regions, including schools and hospitals.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (MHURD) stressed in a circular last week that infrastructure restoration was a priority in the post-quake reconstruction.

Local governments must organize personnel to conduct safety appraisals of all school buildings as soon as possible to ensure the safety of students as they return to school, the circular said.