Over one million low-income urban family members in east China's Anhui Province benefited from the provincial social welfare system during 2002, an increase of 889,000 over that of the previous year, according to sources from the Provincial Civil Affairs Bureau.
An official from the bureau said that the social welfare system has been extended to 8.3 percent of the non-farming population of the province, which means that all those in need of the assistance have received it.
The official noted that the province is making efforts to adjust its fiscal structure in order to ensure the continuation of the assistance program.
Statistics show that Anhui spent over 500 million yuan (US$60 million) in social assistance during 2002.
(Xinhua News Agency January 14, 2003)
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