TEHRAN -- Government on Wednesday directed the privatization of postal services and printing houses in line with its policy to speed up the privatization process in coming years.

The cabinet in its weekly session, presided over by President Mohammad Khatami, also approved allocation of Rls.15 billion (U.S.$1.8 million) for the Ministry of Sciences, Research and Technology to establish faculties of arts.

It also put Rls.2b ($250,000) at the ministry's disposal for purchase of necessary equipment for colleges and universities.

It approved a budget of Rls.3.5 billion (U.S.$437,500) to the Housing and Urban Development Ministry to purchase a building for housing research, IRNA said.

It also earmarked Rls.1.1 billion ($137,500) for the Persian Gulf University to pay for development projects.

Government provided University of Medical Sciences with Rls.2 billion ($250,000) for the HIV-AIDS campaign projects and allotted Rls.3 billion ($375,000) to the Housing and Urban Development Ministry for establishment of a gymnasium at Urumieh University in the northwest of Iran.

Head of the Bureau for Development of Deprived Regions reported to the cabinet on Wednesday that 1,576 development, manufacturing and employment projects had been put into operation in poor and deprived regions during this year's Ten-Day Dawn (February 1-11) period at a cost of more than Rls.540 billion ($67.5 million).

The official had said 182,000 citizens benefited from the projects.

He said 38,000 development projects are completed in about 12,000 villages with a population of more than 10 million.