1. China will create more tax incentives for rural financial institutions to promote rural reforms, according to the State Council executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang on Dec. 3, 2014. The meeting concluded that agriculture-related issues remainedapriorityfor the government, calling for unremitting efforts. The government should enhance financial support for rural reforms by improving fiscal policies in conformity with the requirements of directional economic control. Such actions are vital to strengthening food security, improving farmer’s incomes, accelerating economic structural adjustments and promoting agricultural modernization.
Source: chinaxinxi.org Dec. 4, 2014
2. China will honor its promise in the UN "Millennium Declaration" by enhancing the development capacity of 400 million Chinese families, said Chinese vice premier Liu Yandonginherkeynote speech at the 11thWorld Family Summit. She proposed that family development should be incorporated into the new international development agenda, and that more support be given to families, especially poor families, to improve their development capacity. She also stressed the importance of promoting family development during urbanization and reducing regional disparities.
Source: chinanews.com Dec. 3, 2014
3. National Health and Family Planning Commission: Infants and children in poverty-stricken areas will be provided with nutritional supplements. National Health and Family Planning Commission has released this year’s plan for improving the nutritional conditions of children in poverty-stricken areas and neonatal disease screening projects. The Commission plans to provide nutritional supplements to infants and children aged from 6 to 24 months in poverty-stricken areas this year to improve their health conditions. The Commission also plans to launch neonatal disease screening projects in these areas, offering subsidies for the screening activity and rehabilitation assistance to children diagnosed with phenylketonuria and permanent hearing impairment.
Source: Beijing Times Dec. 2, 2014
4. A list of major poor villages to be invigorated through tourism has been jointly issued by seven ministries including National Development and Reform Commission, National Tourism Administration and the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development. 517 villages in Guizhou Province have been included in the list. The Guizhou government plans to stimulate employment in these villages by developing tourism from 2015 to 2020, with a goal of the annual tourism income of each village reaching 1 million yuan. The program is expected to help lift 100,000 people out of poverty directly and 500,000 indirectly every year.
Source；chinanews.com Dec. 3, 2014
5. China’s first “One Corporation Helps Lift a Whole County out of Poverty” project has been launched in Danzhai County, Guizhou Province. The project agreement was signed by the State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development, Wanda Group and Guizhou Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development as one party, and Danzhai County Government as the other. The project aims at doubling per capita income of the county and lift local peopleout of poverty within 5 years.
Source: cnr.net Dec. 3, 2014
6. Two regulatory documents for the special poverty relief fund were issuedrecentlyby the General Office of Gansu Provincial Government: the Provisional Measures on the Establishment and Management of Special Poverty Alleviation Fund for County-Level Projects of Gansu Province and the Development Plan for the Regulation System of Special Poverty Alleviation Fund of Gansu Province.The Plan specifies that spot checks will be implemented regularly in the use of poverty alleviation funds. Rectification will be carried out for general problems that have been identified, and special rectification campaigns will be launched once problems with extensive influence are discovered.
Source: Lanzhou Evening News Dec. 2, 2014
7.The reconstruction work of farmers’ typhoon-hit houses has been completed basically in Haikou, said officials from Hainan Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development after inspecting the reconstruction work of rural houses in Haikou, Wenchang and other cities and towns that have been severely influenced by “Rammasun” and “Seagull”. Special attention has been paid to helping such disadvantaged groups as “five-guarantee families”,households enjoying the minimum living guarantee and poverty-stricken families. Up to now, the demolition and reconstruction work of collapsed houses and D-level dangerous buildings has been basically completed in 4 cities and counties.
Source: Haikou Evening News Dec. 2, 2014
8. The municipalgovernment of Dongying, Shandong Province has allocated special education assistance funds in 2014 to help 1,135 students from households enjoying the minimum living guarantee, covering 210 kindergarten students, 655 high school students and 270 newly-enrolled college students. The money will soon be handed to the students by education authorities.
Source: dongyingnews.cn Dec. 3, 2014
Organizer: Beijing Normal University China Poverty Reduction Research Center