Dual Purpose to Chinese Official Visits to the Needy

Home>>China

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, January 07, 2003

Dual Purpose to Chinese Official Visits to the Needy

DISCUSSION

CHINESE

SEND TO FRIEND

Chinese officials are visiting the needy rather frequently these days, not just to show solicitude but also their determination to build a sound system able to provide timely regular aid to those in need.

Wang Zhenyao, director of the Disaster and Social Relief Department of the Civil Affairs Ministry, said, "The purpose of visiting families hit by disasters or plagued by poverty is not to dole out quilts and rice but to inspect the work of local governments and detect their failings."

He said institutional development had become a primary task in China's social and economic progress.

"Since a number of policies related to social assistance have been mapped out in 2002, our top priority is to regulate and standardize their implementation," he added.

In 2002, some 19.98 million urban needy were covered by China's basic benefit system, equivalent to the combined populations of Austria, Swiss and Norway.

Meanwhile, medical, education and housing assistance projects targeting the urban poor have started up in many cities.

In Shanghai, a medical assistance program initiated by a local trade union has allocated relief funds of 300 million yuan (about 36.14 million US dollars) to more than 500,000 people.

In Jinan, capital of east China's Shandong Province, a help center was established through which some 88 laid-off workers found jobs in the first two months.

China also sent relief materials and cash worth 900 million yuan all up (about 108.4 million US dollars) to the three million rural poor who have no source of income due to physical handicaps or inability to work.

However, Wang said, the country's social assistance system still faced many difficulties such as capital shortage and uneven management.

"Visiting the needy before Spring Festival is not only a tradition of Chinese governments but also a must given the most important holiday of the year," he said.

Before New China was founded in 1949, people struggling through wars and poverty usually viewed the festival which marks the startof China's lunar new year as "a most difficult time" as they had to pay off debts, buy children new clothes and cook delicacies for the family.

"Although Chinese living standards have improved a lot on the whole, some people's quality of life is still below the average," he said.

In late December, the Ministry of Civil Affairs dispatched seven teams nationwide to Qinghai, Fujian, Hebei, Gansu, Yunnan, Shandong, Guangxi and Tianjin to inspect the distribution of disaster-relief funds and materials and the basic living subsidy for the urban poor.

Based on the survey, the Ministry issued a notice on Jan. 3. It urged eight provincial governments that had not transferred relief funds allocated by the central government to people in need, to do so immediately so the needy could enjoy a happy warm Spring Festival on Feb. 1.

Questions?Comments? Click here

Hu Jintao Stresses Need to Re-employ Laid-off Workers

Vice-premier Calls for Care of Urban, Rural Needy

CPC Decision Makers Discuss Helping Needy

Death Toll Rise to 20 in Tel Aviv Bombing Attacks ( 4 Messages)

China Lodges Formal Representation to Japan About Diaoyu Islands ( 8 Messages)

Can Weapon Inspection Avoid the Outbreak of War? ( 11 Messages)

Premier Zhu Urges Better Foreign Exchange Management ( 4 Messages)

China's Space Program on Course: Official ( 9 Messages)