BEIJING, Aug. 17 -- A large amount of rural funds earmarked for China's impoverished regions was found sitting idle as of the end of June, according to the latest quarterly review by the National Audit Office (NAO).

Of the idle funds, 55.85 million yuan (8.37 million U.S. dollars) had sat unused for more than two years, said the NAO, which examined 257 poverty relief projects in 59 impoverished counties involving nearly 5 billion yuan of funds.

Auditors also found 12.5 million yuan of funds had been misused in three provinces.

In addition, 39 poverty relief projects in 20 counties had failed to achieve the desired results, involving 100.74 million yuan, according to the NAO.

Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region was found to have inaccurate data on the impoverished population, involving 2,656 people, according to the NAO.

The government has put emphasis on efficient use of fiscal funds to support major social projects.

Poverty alleviation is high on China's agenda. With a goal of eradicating poverty by 2024, China has been developing specialty industries, relocating people and extending social security coverage.