Liu Jian, the Deputy Leader of the State Council's Aid-the-Poor Development Group and Director of the State Council Aid-the-Poor Office, has said that during the 11th Five Year Plan, China aims to lift a large number of people out of poverty, find more productive ways to give aid to the poor in the process of striving to promote a harmonious society.

Liu Jian said the specific aim is provide adequate food and clothing and to implement the aid-the-poor plan in 148,000 impoverished villages. Recently statistics show that there are 23.65 million Chinese people who still do not have adequate food and clothing. These 148,000 villages make up 21 percent of administrative villages nationwide and are home to 80 percent of the people living below the poverty line.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), 76 percent of people who have been living in poverty for more than two years are in mountain areas, 6 percent of them have less the 1 Mu (0.67 hectares) of arable land and 28.1 percent are illiterate or semi-illiterate. It is difficult to address the poverty problem in this part of the country. Even once they have been lifted out of poverty this group is extremely vulnerable and may require ongoing assistance.

By People's Daily Online