China's poorest province has promised to ensure the basic needs
of food and clothing for its 2.55 million impoverished people by
providing living allowance.
Each of the 2.55 million rural residents in southwest China's
Guizhou Province, who live below the poverty line of 700 yuan
(US$92) a year, are expected to receive a half-year living
allowance ranging from 60 yuan to 250 yuan (US$33) by the end of
this year, said Liu Yuankun, director of the provincial development
and reform commission.
The program would need at least 153 million yuan (US$20 million)
and the government had allocated 180 million yuan (US$23.8 million)
so far, said Liu.
Local officials began to investigate the living conditions of
the farmers in July and they arestill calculating the total amount
of fund required for the program.
From next year, each farming household is expected to get
quarterly allowance ranging from 30 yuan to 125 yuan based on their
actual living conditions.
The move is aimed at helping the 2.55 million in absolute
poverty, about 10 percent of the country's total according to the
government's standard of poverty, to get adequate food and clothing
and alleviate destitution.
During an inspection tour of Guizhou last month, Vice-Premier
Hui Liangyu called for the need to increase farmers' incomes
steadily and maintain agricultural development.
Hui said the government must continue to increase its investment
in poverty relief and expand the minimum living allowance system in
the vast countryside.
The number of the absolute poor in Guizhou has dropped to 2.55
million, about 8.9 percent of the province's total population from
15 million in 1986, when China launched the poverty-relief
campaign.
The number of people earning less than 683 yuan (US$90) a year,
the government poverty line, has fallen by more than 100 million to
23.65 million since 1986.
The Chinese government has pledged to cut the number of people
in absolute poverty in rural areas by three million this year.
(Xinhua News Agency October 19, 2007)