China issues white paper on poverty alleviation
China's State Council Information Office on Tuesday issued a white paper to record the course of the Chinese people's great fight in eliminating extreme poverty, introduce China's approach, and share its experience and actions in poverty alleviation.
China's State Council Information Office on Tuesday issued a white paper titled "Poverty Alleviation: China's Experience and Contribution."
The white paper was issued to record the course of the Chinese people's great fight in eliminating extreme poverty, introduce China's approach, and share its experience and actions in poverty alleviation.
Noting that this year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the white paper said the Party has united and led the Chinese people in the battle against poverty with unwavering faith and will over the past century.
China is home to nearly one fifth of the world's population and its complete eradication of extreme poverty is a milestone in the history of the Chinese nation and the history of humankind, it said.
Education, healthcare, housing and drinking water supplies are much improved for people living in the impoverished areas, said the white paper. Here are some highlights of the white paper:
— The per capita disposable income of the rural poor increased from 6,079 yuan (US$928) in 2013 to 12,588 yuan in 2020, up by 11.6 percent annually, said the paper. The growth rate was 2.3 percentage points higher than the national rural average, the paper noted.
— Access to good quality education for the impoverished has improved remarkably, the paper said. There are no dropouts in the countryside due to financial difficulties, while nine-year compulsory education is now available to all children from rural poor households, and the completion rate in 2020 was 94.8 percent.
— The three-tier healthcare system at village, township and county levels has been improved, the paper said, citing that basic medical insurance coverage of the poor is now over 99.9 percent.
— The program of renovation of dilapidated rural homes has ensured safe housing for all the impoverished, and the program of safe drinking water for rural residents has secured supplies to 28.89 million poor in terms of both quantity and quality, and benefited 382 million rural population, the paper said.
— From 2015 to 2020, tap water coverage increased from 70 percent to 83 percent, according to the paper.
China prioritizes the basic rights of subsistence and development of the disadvantaged groups among women, children, the elderly, and the disabled while fighting poverty, according to the white paper.
The disadvantaged groups are supported
China prioritizes the basic rights of subsistence and development of the disadvantaged groups among women, children, the elderly, and the disabled while fighting poverty, according to the white paper.
The following are some highlights of China's efforts for this purpose included in the white paper.
— China adheres to the fundamental national policy of gender equality, and sees women as a key target in poverty alleviation. Among nearly 100 million who have shaken off poverty, women account for half.
— Small-sum guaranteed loans and micro credit amounting to more than 450 billion yuan have been provided to impoverished women, which have helped 8.7 million women to start businesses and increase their incomes.
— China has assisted 192,000 women who suffer from poverty and diseases and launched a program of free cervical and breast cancer checkups to cover all women in poverty-stricken areas.
— Some 4.17 billion yuan has been invested to provide 50 million impoverished mothers with infrastructure and health benefits, as well daily necessities.
— To improve the nutrition of children in impoverished areas, babies and toddlers aged 6-24 months in these regions are provided with a free daily pack of nutritional dietary supplements. By the end of 2020, a total of 11.2 million children in those areas had benefited from this project.
— China has invested 1.7 billion yuan in the Tomorrow Plan for Rehabilitation of Handicapped Orphans to offer operations and rehabilitation to 223,000 orphans with disabilities.
— Some 540 million yuan from the public welfare has been used to support school education for 54,000 orphans. Over 253,000 de facto orphans has also been covered.
— The subsidy system for the poor seniors has benefited 36.89 million people.
— The systems for providing living allowances for poor people with disabilities and nursing subsidies for severely disabled persons cover more than 24 million people. China includes 10.67 million people with disabilities in the system of subsistence allowances.
— More than 7 million poor people with disabilities have been lifted out of poverty. A systems for providing living allowances for poor people with disabilities and nursing subsidies cover more than 24 million people.
— All poor people with disabilities are now covered by basic medical insurance and serious illness insurance. Among them, 547,000 people have received medical assistance.
— China has made efforts to ensure 1.79 million poor households with disabled members live in secure housing. The houses of 653,000 impoverished households with severely disabled members have been upgraded.
— More than 80,000 children with disabilities have received beneficiary pre-school education.
