1. Three departments devoted further efforts to establishing and improving the subsidy system for the poor and disabled elderly. Together with the Ministry of Civil Affairs and National Committee on Aging, the Ministry of Finance has issued the Notice on the Establishment and Improvement of the Subsidy System for the Poor and Disabled Elderly which requires more public financial support to relieve the worries of poor and disabled elderly with financial difficulties, so as to promote the equalization of basic service for elderly people.
Source:mrdx.xinhuanet.com Oct. 24, 2014
2. With a financial allocation of 120 million yuan from the Central Government and Guizhou Provincial Government, Anshun City in Guizhou Province launched a new round of plan to reform low-performing compulsory education schools in rural areas. Anshun City planned to spend five years from 2014 to 2018 improving the teaching and living infrastructures of low-performing compulsory education schools in rural areas so as for them to meet basic educational needs, and guaranteeing village primary schools and rural learning centers with basic conditions for education.
Source: xinhua.net Oct. 22, 2014
3. Greenland Group, together with 6 subordinated projects, co-hosted Greenland Gratitude Charities where it collaborated with a hundred enterprises within Jilin Province to set up over one thousand reading rooms for poor schools. Greenland Group donated books, funds, stationery and clothes to students in poor schools, poor children and stay-at-home children in Jilin province mainly by means of charity auctions, book donation and visits to poor schools.
Source: enews.xwh.cn Oct. 23, 2014
4. National Tourism Administration announced that it would start a rotation training program for officials in over 6,000 key villages for poverty alleviation through tourism at a scale of 1,000 trainees every year. National Tourism Administration noted that they would strive to stimulate the annual tourism income of key rural tourism villages to exceed 1 million yuan, enable households participating in rural tourism programs to increase their family income by 50 to 100 thousand yuan, and directly help 100,000 poor people shake off poverty and make a fortune while 500,000 people could benefit indirectly.
Source: Shaoguan Daily Oct. 21, 2014
5. Recently, the Department of Finance in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region allocated 100 million yuan as temporary relief funds and subsidies for urban and rural residents in 2014. It is reported that funds will be entirely appropriated for low-income families with temporary difficulties in their basic livelihood caused by temporary and unexpected factors, so as to help poor people get through “emergencies” and “difficulties”.
Source: Xinjiang Economic Daily Oct. 25, 2014
6. Poverty-stricken counties in Gansu Province gave out living subsidies to rural teachers, in order to avoid the brain drain of excellent teachers. By the end of June, living subsidies for rural teachers have appropriated to 15 counties out of 58 contiguous poverty-stricken counties (cities, districts) in Gansu province, including Linxia city, Linxia county and Hezheng county, benefiting 33,405 teachers in 2,149 schools with a total subsidy of 194.4609 million yuan; 970.22 yuan in average according to a specified standard of subsidy from 50 to 1,453 yuan.
Source: chinanews.com Oct. 24, 2014
7. Guizhou Province canceled GDP assessment in 10 poverty-stricken counties. Based on the initial 2 categories of “counties with high-performing economy” and “counties with low-performing economy”, comprehensive evaluation of economic development concerning 88 counties and urban districts will add one more category named “10 Key Counties for National Poverty-Relief”, and cancel GDP assessment in these counties. The evaluation focus will shift to aspects such as increasing residents’ income, improving modern agriculture effectively, developing tourism and protecting the eco-environment.
Source: Economic Daily News Oct. 24, 2014
8. Currently, the housing project for 22,000 poor farmers and herdsmen in Tibet Autonomous Region initiated in 2011 has been fully completed. Over 100,000 poor farmers and herdsmen who benefited from it have moved into their new homes. In addition to the housing project for poor families, Tibet Autonomous Region also launched special poverty-relief projects, such as Bridge Replacing Cableway Project and Further Handling of Kashin Beck Disease Area, relieving 40,000 farmers and herdsmen out of the “cableway era” and lifting nearly 500,000 poor people out of poverty.
Source: Tibet Daily Oct. 26, 2014
Organizer: Beijing Normal University China Poverty Reduction Research Center